Enduring
by xXxKimikoxXx
Summary: As the world around them changes, can Kakashi and Ayumi endure these new hardships together and survive? Sequel to Redemption. KakashixOC. Rated M for Violence, Mild Language, Gore, Death, and Implied Lemons. Shippuden.
1. A Return

Hello everyone! It feels good to be back! Even though the break wasn't that long...Anyway! I have been very busy writing this sequel, although I believe that a good story writes itself and since it wasn't too difficult to write this, I believe it came out good. I hope this sequel lives up to everyones expectations, but we won't know unless you get to read the first chapter! Also, this story shall update on the same schedule as Redemption, i.e. on Saturdays and Wednesdays, however, since I will be busy all day tomorrow, I decided to be nice and give it to you today. So, without further ado, here it is! Enjoy!  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I do not own Naruto, just my own characters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Kakashi smirked under his mask as he read his Icha Icha just outside of Tsunade's window but hidden from the newly returned Naruto. He was surprised how much his former student had changed in the two and a half years since he had last seen him. He was definitely more powerful, that much he could sense, but it still seemed like he was the same old goofball.

'_But he looks much more like Minato now…' _Kakashi thought solemnly.

He had been hiding out there ever since Naruto entered Tsunade's office and he found himself amused by the proceedings inside, especially when Naruto noticed Sakura. Much like Naruto, Kakashi mused, she had changed over the years. Of course, training constantly with Lady Tsunade would do that to anyone.

'_Well, constant training isn't exactly true. Many times Ayumi would help her in strength training by launching boulders or walls of earth at her,' _he mentally added.

"There'll be someone else happy to see you return, Naruto," Tsunade stated and Kakashi could only assume she motioned to the window, for he heard footsteps approaching it.

He kept his attention focused on his Icha Icha, taking full advantage of one of the few times he could read it now and smiled when Naruto looked at him.

"Hello, Naruto."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed before he climbed out of the window and crouched near the man, "How've you been?"

Kakashi shrugged and closed his book, "Well, I can't complain really. Aside from my limited reading time thanks to Ayumi, I can't complain. And you?"

The blonde gave a broad grin, "Never been better! Now, before I forget, I got you something!" He began digging in his kunai pouch, "I read it and didn't like it, but I knew you would! It's signed and everything!" He exclaimed before pulling out a green book and handing it to Kakashi.

"W-What? This is the latest installment of the Icha Icha series! Not even released yet! How-!" Kakashi babbled as he opened the new book, relishing in the sound of the spine of the book cracking for the first time.

Naruto chuckled, "You seemed to forget who I trained with, Kakashi-sensei. But I knew you'd like it!"

Sakura shook her head from the window as the man already began reading it, "You know Ayumi-sensei won't like that, Kakashi-sensei."

He glanced up at the pink-haired girl, "What she won't know, won't hurt her."

The girl scoffed, "But it'll hurt _you _later."

Kakashi narrowed his eye at her before continuing to read; however, he was interrupted by Naruto asking:

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, where is Ayumi-san?"

"She's on a mission," Tsunade grumbled from inside her office, "Now, how about you three go somewhere else and leave me alone to speak with Jiraiya, hmm?"

Kakashi smiled, "Perfect idea, Lady Tsunade," he looked up at his former students, "how about we go to the old training grounds, hmm? I'd like to see what the two of you could do now. Perhaps the old bell test again?"

Sakura and Naruto both smirked, "You got it, sensei!"

The three of them leapt away towards the old training grounds. Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya watched them go before the Hokage turned to her former teammate and stated:

"Now, tell me what you've learned about the Akatsuki."

* * *

><p>Ayumi greeted Kotetsu and Izumo as she walked through the village's eastern gate. She sighed as the sunset's rays warmed her body after her brief mission before she pulled out her mission report scroll that she had completed while camping out last night. She gripped the thin black scroll tightly in her hand and began walking towards the Hokage's office.<p>

As she strolled leisurely through the streets, she couldn't help but notice that the village seemed to be busier and more gossipy than usual. Finally, to her relief, she saw Iruka doing some grocery shopping at a fruit stand.

"Iruka!" She called while waving.

He noticed her and motioned her over, smiling, "Ayumi, glad to see you're back. Everything go well?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yes, very well. Now, what's going on? This place seems more alive."

The chunin smiled, "Of course, you wouldn't have heard yet. Naruto and Jiraiya-sama have returned."

Ayumi smiled, "That's wonderful! I'll see you later, Iruka. I need to report in and find Kakashi. We'll hang out soon!"

As she began leaping off, she heard Iruka shout after her, "We better! It's been too long!"

She smiled before increasing her speed.

* * *

><p>Ayumi arrived moments later at the door to the Hokage's office. She quickly knocked and, once invited in, entered. She nodded to Shizune before bowed slightly to Tsunade.<p>

"I told you years ago, Ayumi, stop with all that," Tsunade stated as she took the scroll from her.

The kunoichi just smiled, "I know, but manners are hard to get rid of. If you don't mind me asking, Lady Tsunade, do you know where Kakashi is?"

The blonde woman nodded, "I do know and don't mind telling you. He's at his team's old training ground with Sakura and Naruto testing their abilities."

Ayumi smiled, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

As she turned to leave, however, Tsunade stated, "By the way, I'll have a mission for you tomorrow. Come by around lunch if you could, Ayumi."

The young woman smiled, "I'll see you then," and with that, she left.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! You know how I read the Icha Icha book? Well, at the end-"<p>

The silver-haired man quickly covered his ears, _'I can't hear the ending! Oh no…I can read his lips! Damn you, Sharingan!"_

He quickly closed his eyes and stepped further back from the blonde idiot before opening his eyes again after he felt a tugging on his belt. He dropped his hands at the sight of Naruto and Sakura holding a bell each and smirking proudly. He sweat-dropped and straightened up while chuckling:

"Well…uh…Good job, you two!"

He heard a feminine chuckle from behind him and turned in time to see Ayumi leaping down from a nearby tree branch and landing a few feet away from the three of them.

"I knew those books would lead to your demise, Kakashi. I told you to give them up," she said with a smirk.

The sharingan user blushed faintly beneath his mask, "You…You never really pressed the issue…"

Ayumi rolled her eyes and began to say something else before something hit her chest and embraced her in a hug, "Ayumi-san!"

She laughed and hugged Naruto back slightly before they released, "Yes, hello Naruto. It's good to see you again."

The blonde smiled, "It's good to see you too!" He grinned before blinking and staring at her with a slightly confused look on his face, "Something…. Something is different about you…"

Ayumi laughed, "I assume you mean my hair."

"Ayumi-sensei, why _did_ you cut your hair?" Sakura questioned, having not seen the older woman in a few weeks.

What was once long, lavender hair was now a short, spikey ponytail with two short sections of hair framing her face over her headband. Ayumi smiled menacingly at Kakashi:

"Yes, _Kakashi,_ what happened to _my _hair?"

Kakashi blushed even more beneath his mask, "It was an accident…"

Sakura blinked while Naruto exclaimed, heavily confused, "Can someone just tell us already?"

Ayumi chuckled, "During training one day, Kakashi set my hair on fire with a fireball jutsu."

"Oh…so was that the week no one saw you with your porn, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura questioned.

The man grumbled, his head down turned, "Maybe…. possibly…. Hey! I have an idea! Let's all go to Ichiraku's for dinner!"

While Naruto cheered and led the way with Sakura shaking her head slightly beside him, Ayumi and Kakashi followed behind them.

"Nice way to change the subject," Ayumi stated while glancing up at Kakashi who was reading his book.

He smiled and shrugged, "I try my best."

* * *

><p>As Naruto downed another bowl of ramen as the other three watched, Sakura looked at Ayumi and questioned:<p>

"So, did Tsunade finish up your treatments last time? I noticed you didn't wear your armor when you left for your last mission."

Naruto leaned forward with a mouth of ramen and stated, "I knew somefing else was different about you, Ayumi-san!"

She chuckled and took a small sip of sake, "Yes, she did. My arm is fully healed now. She explained about how the medics didn't set the bone properly last time and that led to the weakness, but it's all taken care of. Anyway Naruto, how was your training with Jiraiya?"

And so, over the course of dinner, Naruto told of his adventures and training with Jiraiya and when he finished, Sakura related her training with Tsuande. All while Kakashi and Ayumi listened, amazed at how much these two genin, the pink-haired one now a chunin, had grown up.

* * *

><p>Unbeknownst to the four of them as they dined, Tsunade's work was interrupted by two messenger ANBU members from the Sand Village.<p>

"Lady-Tsunade, we have a report from the elders of Suna," a hawk masked ANBU stated.

She nodded, "Go on."

"Lord Gaara has been kidnapped by two members of the Akatsuki and Lord Kankuro is injured severely by a poison we cannot cure. Suna is requesting your assistance in accordance with our peace treaty," the other ANBU member, a cat masked wearer, replied.

Tsunade's eyes widened at the news before she stood up and looked out her window at the clear night that had befallen the village. Several thoughts clouded her mind as she pondered the implications of this kidnapping; however, the clearest thought in her mind was of whom she was going to send. She turned, facing the two ANBU who were now gazing silently at her, and spoke:

"Yes, Konoha will give aide. A team shall be sent out in the morning."


	2. A Mission

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed chapter 1! Thank you** jennku, yyh-ygo-fma**, and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! Reviews make me so happy! So, all my readers, please review! Now, on with chapter 2!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters; just those of my own design.<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_Her surroundings shifted rapidly, signaling to her that this was indeed a dream, and she was now in a decimated part of town, leaning against Choji and looking at Kakashi who was buried up to the chest in stone rubble. She had feared the worst when the Deva Path launched the nail at him, but was relieved to see that he was still alive._

"_Ayumi! Choji! Don't let Choza's death be for naught! Get the information you have about those two paths to Tsunade now!"_

"_But Kakashi-" Ayumi began._

"_NOW!" Kakashi cried._

_The two quickly obliged before turning and heading towards Tsunade's location with the help of Katsuyu, who had healed her wounds. As they both moved as fast as they could, Ayumi heard something shifting behind them and looked back to see the Asura path launch a missile at them.  
><em>

"_Choji! Watch ou-" Ayumi began to cry before gasping as the missile disappeared at the hand of Kakashi's kamui._

_She stopped in her tracks, pulling Choji with her before beginning to run towards Kakashi, despite lingering pain she felt from her wounds shooting through her body as she felt the last of his chakra fade._

"_Kakashi! No!" She screamed out as she moved towards him, feeling time slow down severely as she ran towards her beloved._

_He smiled at her softly and whispered, "You…saved me…. now I…saved…you…"_

_Her eyes widened as his head tilted back and he died before her eyes._

"_NO!" She shrieked while reaching for him._

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><p>As the first rays of sunlight shone through the thin curtains of Kakashi's bedroom, Ayumi began to stir; the dream slowly beginning to fade from her mind. She rubbed her eyes lightly and rolled over, trying to remain asleep but she quickly opened her eyes when her hand landed on a piece of folded paper and not Kakashi's still sleeping form.<p>

She sat up quickly and blinked sleep away from her eyes before beginning to read the note:

_Ayumi, I apologize for being gone when you read this. I was called urgently to Tsunade's office concerning a mission to Suna. If what Jiraiya-sama said about the Akatsuki was true all those years ago, then I fear that the Kazekage, Gaara, has been kidnapped. I will return to you, Ayumi. I love you. – Kakashi_

The hand holding the note scrunched it up quickly. She was furious that Lady Tsunade did not think to send her as well. Tossing off the covers off rapidly, she climbed out of bed and dressed. As she exited the apartment, she thought of what she would say to the Hokage when she arrived at her office.

* * *

><p>Tsunade sighed contentedly to herself as she finished another small cup of sake. She reached to pour herself another cup before getting back to work when suddenly Ayumi burst into her office.<p>

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" The Hokage exclaimed as Ayumi slammed a fist down on her desk, her journey to the office had only fueled her anger as she mulled over the situation.

"Care to explain why I wasn't sent on the mission with Kakashi? We've been paired on nearly every mission since his team was disbanded nearly three years ago; how is this any different?"

Tsunade stared calmly at Ayumi before speaking softly, "You should not let your emotions get the better of you. While you would have been an asset on this mission, however-"

"Then why wasn't I sent?"

Tsunade glared at her for interrupting her, "_However,_ you are needed elsewhere," she picked up a fairly large green scrolls, "You have a mission to Ishigakure."

Ayumi straightened up and steeled her emotions, "And a C-rank looking one at that. Can't you give it to a genin team? Or maybe a chunin?"

The Hokage sighed, "It's a B-rank because of the turmoil in the daimyo's village. Now, this scroll is a peace treaty between our lands. It has been revised based on suggestions by both parties but needs final approval. Get the daimyo's approval and bring it back for approval on our end and finalization. Leave immediately and be careful."

Ayumi nodded and took the scroll, "Yes, Lady Tsunade," she bowed deeply, "And forgive me for my irrational behavior."

"If it gets you out of here, then fine," Tsunade replied before sighing as she left.

Not too long after the kunoichi left, a loud knock was heard on the door followed by Gai, Rock Lee, TenTen, and Neji entering the room.

"For the love of Kami, please tell me Ayumi didn't see you?" The Slug Queen questioned, exasperated.

Gai shook his head, "You really upset her, didn't you?"

The woman nodded before sighing, "We've received word from Sakura that Kankuro is healed and resting, but, by morning, they plan to leave out in pursuit of Gaara. I want you four to go as back up. And please, don't let Ayumi find out."

Gai nodded, "Understood," he turned to his team, "All right everyone, let's go!"

With an enthusiastic reply only from Rock Lee, Team Gai headed out for Suna.

* * *

><p>Before dawn the following morning, Kakashi and Pakkun were scanning the area of Kankuro's battle with Sasori in hopes of finding anything.<p>

"Any luck, Pakkun?" Kakashi questioned.

The small dog shook his head, "No…nothing."

As dawn broke in the small canyon, Kakashi turned in time to see Kankuro arrive with the help of Sakura, Naruto, Lady Chiyo of Suna, and a few Suna shinobi.

"Is there anything else you can tell us about your battle, Kankuro?" Kakashi asked.

The young man nodded towards a large boulder, "That nearly crushed Sasori, have you checked it?"

Pakkun trotted over to it before barking a bit and calling from the backside of the boulder, "Hey, Kakashi! I found a scrap of his cloak!"

The team of shinobi moved around the boulder to see Kakashi crouch and pull out the piece of cloth from beneath the large rock.

"Good work, Pakkun."

The dog nodded before Kakashi looked at the others and stated, "All right. Now that we have a way to track them, we can head out once our back up arrives."

"Back up?" Naruto questioned.

As if right on time, Gai's team leapt down from the top of the canyon and in amongst their allies and friends, smiling as they did so.

"See, my youthful team! I told you we would arrive before my rival departed!" Gai exclaimed to a partially out of breath team.

"Brushy brow! TenTen! Neji! Look at you guys!" Naruto shouted.

Before they could reply, however, Kakashi stated, "You can catch up with them on the journey, Naruto. Right now though, we need to begin heading out."

"I'm going with you," Kankuro stated while stepping forward before wincing and gripping his side and coughing.

"Kankuro, you need to rest," Sakura stated, giving him a concerned look.

"Yes," Lady Chiyo agreed, "you need to rest Kankuro-san. We'll be fine."

"Yeah, Kankuro," Naruto cheered, "I promise you that we'll bring back Gaara and kick those Akatsuki's guy's butts for taking him!"

Kankuro, who seemed unsure at first, was reassured when Naruto promised him, "Fine, fine. I'll go lie down."

The Suna shinobi helped him away before Sakura noticed that Lady Chiyo remained behind, "Lady Chiyo? Will you be coming with us?"

She nodded to Sakura before looking at Kakashi, "If the son of the White Fang will allow me. I'd like to deal with my grandson."

Kakashi nodded before looking at them all, "All right. Let's go, but remember everyone: be on your guard."

They all nodded to Kakashi before following Pakkun, who lead the way towards the Akatsuki members and Gaara.

The sharingan user of the group stayed ahead of the rest and even with Pakkun as they travelled.

"Hey, Kakashi. What's bothering you?" Pakkun questioned, speaking quietly so the others would not hear him.

The man shook his head slightly, "I was sad yet surprised when I didn't see Ayumi with Gai's team. However, this mission is dangerous…perhaps its better if she's not here…"

Pakkun nodded, growling slightly in agreement, "Ahh, the joys of a shinobi relationship."

Kakashi shook his head while chuckling slightly, "Sure, let's call it that." _'No matter what, even if I'm with her on a mission or not, even if I know she's home in the village, I worry for her safety.'_

* * *

><p>Ayumi sighed as she leapt quickly from branch to branch towards Ishigakure. She travelled through the night, only stopping to take a few soldier pills so she could keep her pace as she travelled. She should arrive in the Daimyo's village in a few hours, a journey most shinobi would do in two days, but she wanted to get back to Konoha as quickly as possible.<p>

'_Perhaps if I return quickly enough, Tsunade will send me out to aide Kakashi,'_ a part of her hoped, but she knew the woman wouldn't do so.

As she travelled, she thought about her mission and recalled the part about the local gang that made this mission B-rank.

'_They wear the kanji for "pain" on headbands on their forehead. Posing as kind shinobi to get close their victims. A small group made up of various rogues with a leader named Goumon Kurushimi…that name…. Why is it so familiar?' _She thought to herself.

She pushed the thought from her mind as she spied the village several hundred yards ahead of her.

'_Oh well…probably just saw the name in the Bingo Book somewhere…'_


	3. An Injury

Hello everyone! Thank you **yyh-ygo-fma** and** jennku** for reviewing! To add some clarity, that was only the second time Ayumi had the dream. The point being that now that the changes she noticed the first time in the dream have now come to pass, that the warning it is trying to send is greater. Also, I know that quite often Ayumi and Kakashi are separated; however, keep in mind that they are ninja. Their lives are tough and this story is about **_enduring_** the changes in their worlds. Plus, I want to tell more of Ayumi's history in this, but don't fret! There will be KakashixAyumi moments! Now that I've rambled enough, on with the chapter! Please review!**  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Ayumi sighed as she landed on the outskirts of the village. The two non-shinobi guards at the gate stopped her, however, and asked what she was doing here. During the course of her conversation with them, and even showing them her papers from Konoha, Ayumi couldn't help but notice that their eyes kept drifting to her headband, almost as if to see if she really was a ninja from the Leaf.

Finally, to her relief, an escort from the Daimyo's house arrived to lead her to the home. He was an elderly man dressed in a green and white male kimono with long, snow-white hair. She bowed slightly to the guards, making them blush from the sign of respect, before beginning to walk beside the old man who was surprisingly able to keep pace with her.

"How did the Daimyo know I had arrived?" She questioned.

The man chuckled slightly before pointing to a large manor sitting atop a hill overlooking the village, "The Daimyo lives there. We have been expecting the arrival of a shinobi from Konoha since we sent back our initial revisions of the treaty. We are glad to see that you've finally arrived."

Ayumi smiled, "We're sorry to have kept you waiting. I just received the mission yesterday."

The man looked at her in surprise, "And you arrived here so quickly? Amazing. I'm very pleased that they placed this mission in the hands of someone so enthusiastic about their work."

She blushed lightly, "It's part of the job. I'm Ayumi Osoi by the way."

The elderly gentleman smiled, "And I'm Atsui Kashikoi. It's a pleasure."

She nodded in agreement before smiling as she began taking in the sights of the small town. There wasn't much to behold quite frankly. What wasn't under construction to be rebuilt or remodeled was very run down: the classic signs of terrorism by the local gang. She did notice how the villagers seemed to be very wary of her as they stared at her from inside their shops and homes. However, when they noticed the insignia on her headband, they relaxed and began going about their normal business.

Ayumi looked at the old man and asked quietly, "Atsui-san, they are truly afraid of the local gang, aren't they?"

The white-haired man sighed, "Yes, yes they are. Hopefully, someone can take of them soon. Who knew a gang of five could cause so much terror?"

The kunoichi nodded, growing silent as they began making their way up the hill towards the manor.

* * *

><p>To Ayumi's surprise, the Daimyo of Ishigakure stood on the grand veranda of his home, waiting for them to arrive. He was a very young man for he appeared to be no older than her and he was dressed in ornate robes of red and gold. Ayumi and Atsui walked up the steps and bowed before the man spoke to the Daiymo.<p>

"Yangu-sama, may I present Ayumi Osoi from Konoha," the man stated while bowing again.

Ayumi began to bow once more as well, "It is an honor-"

"Please! A radiant beauty such as you shouldn't bow to the likes of me," the man began as he captured Ayumi's hand and kissed it, "I am Yangu Chikara, Daimyo of these lands. Would you care to join us for lunch?"

Ayumi smiled, "While I thank you for the invitation, I would very much like to finish the business I was sent here for and return home quickly."

"Bah!" The Daimyo cried, "You can dine with us! One who is as stunning as you must do very little work after all, that's how you look so rested. Now, come! Come! Lunch is nearly ready."

Yangu escorted Ayumi into the manor with an uncomfortably placed arm around her waist. She gently pushed it away only to have it return to its position. Despite her mental objections, she feared to speak up since upsetting the daimyo in any way could lead to the cancelling of the peace treaty and she really didn't want to deal with Tsunade's and the elders' wrath.

When they finally entered the dining hall, Ayumi took a seat on the daimyo's right hand and waited to be served.

"Now, Ayumi-chan," the daimyo began and Ayumi cringed slightly, "what do you do in your village? Simple inside retrieval missions of missing cats or dogs? Maybe escorting people to the gates? Hmm?"

As a bowl of soup was placed before her, Ayumi discreetly tested it for poison and once she saw it was safe, began eating while replying, "No. Actually, I participate in assassination missions when necessary and spying missions as well, remnants from my days as a member of ANBU. On a day-to-day basis I, typically, perform A-rank missions, otherwise I help around the village when I can."

The dark-haired man laughed, "Oh, Ayumi-chan," she cringed again, "Oh, how you joke! A beauty such as yourself would never participate in such actions!"

He continued to laugh and tried to get Atsui to join in, but the elderly man didn't for he could tell Ayumi was very serious. The main course was placed before them and Ayumi began to eat quietly before jumping as she felt Yangu place his hand on her thigh.

"Tell me, is this your first major mission outside of the village? It is, isn't it? Well, I assure you it will go smoothly. Now," his hand slid a little higher as he spoke softly, "how did you come by that unique scar? And do you have someone in your life that can appreciate your magnificence? Because if not…I can do so in my quarters."

Ayumi gently set her chopsticks down on her three-quarters empty plate, and reached down before squeezing his hand in an almost bone-crushingly tight grip and stated calmly:

"Yangu-san, I have quietly put up with your 'passes' at me and belittling my strength as a kunoichi. So, let me tell you this. I _meant_ what I said before and I shall have you know that I do have a lover, a quite famous one at that. You might know him. His name is Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, the son of the White Fang," Ayumi released his hand and Yangu clutched it to his chest, his eyes wide.

Ayumi looked at Atsui who seemed amused based on the smirk on his face.

"M-My apologies, Ayumi-san. I d-did not realized that someone of your caliber was in my home," the young daimyo stated while massaging his reddening hand.

Ayumi nodded, "Apology accepted. Now," she stood, "I was supposed to wait for word on whether or not you agreed to the new terms, but since you did not have problems sending word to us the last time. I would like to suggest that you could do it again."

The daimyo stood and nodded, "Y-Yes. That would be perfectly fine. The council and I are very grateful that our two villages can reach and agreement."

He bowed to her slightly and Ayumi returned the bow, "Thank you. We are just as grateful. Now, if you would excuse me, I would like to return home. Additionally, thank you for the meal. It was very delicious."

Ayumi headed towards the door of the dining hall and then began walking down the main hall back towards the entrance of the estate. Suddenly, a hand was placed gently on her shoulder and she turned to see Atsui looking at her. He smiled softly and began walking with her to the front door of the manor.

"I apologize again," he began, "for his manners. He becomes distracted easily by young women."

Ayumi laughed as Atsui opened the door for her, "It's fine. He just needed to be put in his place. I hope this doesn't change anything between our villages."

The old man smiled, "It won't, Ayumi-san. You have a blessed journey home. Be wary of those that wish to cause harm to others."

She bowed deeply, "I will and thank you. May Kami watch over you as well."

She exited the manor, smiling to herself before heading towards the village gate.

* * *

><p>As Ayumi neared the edge of town, she heard cries and pleas of "Just leave me and my family alone." She turned to see what was going on and saw the five members of the gang terrorizing an old woman who owned a flower shop. She over heard a man demanding the money she owned him for protection. Ayumi assumed this man to be the leader because his headband sash was the only red one amongst the five. This was confirmed when a member addressed him as "Goumon-san". Ayumi began walking towards them to intervene before she stopped dead in her tracks.<p>

The sandy-blonde haired man in his late forties turned to shout at the subordinate next to him and when he turned, Ayumi saw his eyes. When his face contorted in the snarl, Ayumi paled.

"_C'mon kunoichi! What's the matter? Hmm? I thought those ANBU bitches were the toughest of the tough! And it looks like you're just a little weakling!" Goumon shouted as he began carving the signature scar on her cheek while Ayumi barely restrained tears of pain and a scream of anguish._

Ayumi blinked heavily before leaping off as the gang finished up their business. She focused as much chakra as she could to her feet and leapt off quickly to Konoha, trying to remain calm.

'_That man… That man led the group that tortured me…. He didn't die that day of the attack…and now…now…'_

The kunoichi wiped her eyes and sped towards Konoha.

* * *

><p>Kakashi leaned against Gai as the two teams began heading back home from Suna. While they were successful in bringing Gaara back, it cost Suna the life of Lady Chiyo when she revived the young Kazekage. The blazing heat of the sun rained down on them all, although Gai seemed most affected by it.<p>

The Sharingan user chuckled slightly and looked at Gai, "Sorry about all of this… That new sharingan jutsu of mine takes a lot out of me."

Gai only grumbled before grumbling louder as TenTen called back to them since the group of Chunin and sole Genin were far ahead of them, "What's the hold up, you two?"

"Yeah! Can't you go any faster?" Sakura added.

For some strange reason, this seemed to infuriate Gai as he suddenly tossed Kakashi in the air and caught him in a piggyback position. Kakashi's cry of surprised caused the students before them to turn in curiosity and the sight before them was very strange.

"Ha ha ha! You want to see fast? Well then, take a look at this!" Gai exclaimed before dashing off towards Konoha at lightning speed.

Rock Lee, enchanted by this "training exercise" demanded that Neji help him, only to be quickly shot down. Instead, he took all of the group's packs and ran off after his sensei.

"Grown men…. how creepy…" Naruto commented as they ran off after the others.

* * *

><p>Ayumi smiled and landed several yards from the gate, deciding to relax a little considering she made such quick time back to the village. She yawned, however, and knew she would need to take a long nap to recover. She noticed that the day couldn't have been more beautiful and she wondered if it meant that Kakashi and the others had already returned.<p>

She paused slightly as she felt the ground rumbling beneath her feet ever so gently. The kunoichi turned and noticed a dust cloud rising on the small hill behind her before suddenly a flash of green and silver few by her, spinning her around slightly.

'_Was that Kakash-'_

Before she could finish her thought, a small flash of green few by her and knocked her to the ground. She coughed before trying to stand up slightly.

"What is going on?" She questioned to herself before she felt two people helping her up.

Ayumi looked up and smiled for it was Sakura and Naruto.

"Kakashi injured himself on the mission and Gai gave him a piggyback ride back to the village since we were calling him slow. Rock Lee thought it was a training exercise and had to copy him so he carried our bags back," Sakura stated, answering the jonin's rhetorical question for her.

Ayumi blinked before dashing towards Gai, Kakashi, and Rock Lee just as Gai dropped his rival to the ground, while the sensei and student clones began doing enthusiastic cheers of some sort.

When Ayumi arrived on the scene, Gai was in the middle of explaining something to Lee but she quickly interrupted.

"How could you just drop him?"

"Ahh! Ayumi! My eternal rival's girl! How about a challenge? The lover of my rival is my rival as well! I was thinking that we could-"

Ayumi balled up her fists in anger and shouted, "Gai, you damn idiot! Now's not the time!"

She delivered a swift punch to Gai's face, knocking him unconscious.


	4. A Student

Hello everyone! I'm so glad you all seemed to enjoy chapter 3 and thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma,** **jennku**, new reviewer **xNotUnderstood**, and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! Here is chapter 4, enjoy! Please review!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Ayumi sighed as she rolled up her scroll and looked down at Kakashi's sleeping form in the hospital bed. He had been there for a week since his return from the mission to rescue Gaara and Ayumi figured that he was a glutton for punishment considering how much he despised hospitals yet always ended up in them. She did find the circumstances of his admittance interesting though: a new sharingan jutsu. Ayumi knew that he had been further developing a technique since Sasuke left, but only after he was admitted did she learn it was a version of the Mangekyo Sharingan.

'_I'll have to ask him about that if I ever get the chance…and even if he'll tell me…' _She thought to herself.

A small knock on the door reached Ayumi's ears and she looked up in time to see Sakura and Tsunade enter the room.

"Kakashi," Ayumi said quietly as she gently shook the man, "Wake up, you have visitors."

The man groaned slightly and opened his right eye and looked at the two women that entered before sitting up.

"Ahh, Lady Tsunade, Sakura, what a nice surprise," he stated before yawning beneath his mask.

"Yes, hello, Kakashi," Tsunade stated, "After reviewing your charts, I believe it's safe to say that you can go home."

"Good. I'm running out of reading material," Kakashi stated absent-mindedly while glancing at his books on the nightstand.

This action, of course, earned him a punch on upper arm before he continued while narrowing his eye at Ayumi:

"But, if I might ask," he turned and looked at Tsunade, "this wouldn't have to do with my…'baggage'…would it?"

Without missing a beat, a loud snore was heard by the "baggage" in question. The four of them turned their attention to Naruto, who had greedily taken the other bed in the room for his own use since he was waiting for the moment to take Kakashi up on his promise to train him once they returned from their mission to Suna and Naruto's mission to investigate the information given to Sakura by Sasori in the red-head's final moments.

Tsunade sighed, "Perhaps that is the other reason…"

While Sakura moved to wake him up, Tsunade added:

"And I know you won't, but take it easy, will you? I don't want to see you back here for awhile."

Kakashi chuckled, "It wouldn't hurt to begin training today."

"Really?" Ayumi questioned after rolling her eyes, "Well, if that's the case, I better join you to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

The three of them ignored the madness in the room next to them as Kakashi stated:

"Fine_, dear."_

* * *

><p>"Now, do you understand, Naruto?" Kakashi questioned.<p>

"Um…yeah. I think so. The more clones I use, the faster I'll master a technique I'm trying to create," the blonde replied.

Ayumi nodded from her standing position beside Kakashi in the training field, "That's right, but the downside is that you use more chakra. The risk of over-exerting yourself is worth the reward in many cases though."

"All right then, Naruto. Now, before we continue, I want to determine your element affinity," Kakashi stated before pulling out a few chakra cards.

"My what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Element affinity," Ayumi began, ", or chakra affinity, is the type of nature chakra that you can use."

Kakashi nodded, "You'll master jutsus more quickly that play in to your chakra affinity over those that aren't your type or don't pair well with it. These cards, based on their behavior when you push chakra into them, will tell us what your chakra affinity is."

"For example, since I have an earth affinity," Ayumi grabbed a card and pushed chakra into it, "the card will crumble."

The three of them watched the card crumble, but Ayumi blinked as she believed she saw the dust from the card briefly ignite.

"Ayumi….. Ayumi!" Kakashi half-shouted at her.

"Huh... what?" Ayumi asked as she looked up.

Kakashi gave her a curious look, as did Naruto, "Are you okay?" Her lover asked.

Ayumi nodded, "I'm fine. I believe I've done all I can here…I'll see you at home, Kakashi."

Before he could protest, Ayumi quickly turned and walked out of the training grounds, nodding to Yamato as she passed him before leaping off towards her apartment.

_'Did I really see the dust off the card burst into small flames? ...No…that's impossible…I'm imagining…but it wouldn't hurt looking over my father's journals to see if he says anything about it…'_

* * *

><p>Kakashi sighed as he finally walked up the last of the steps to his apartment. He was very tired from having trained with Naruto all day. He was amazed at the young man's stamina and chakra levels before realizing that all these thoughts made him feel old.<p>

After fumbling around for a few moments, he pulled his apartment key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He turned the doorknob, but was surprised when he felt resistance. He pushed harder and was shocked by the sight before him.

Spread out all over the floor and furniture in the living room and kitchenette of the apartment were scrolls and papers of all sorts. His eye met Ayumi's surprised ones as she stood up and tiptoed over the mess to him.

"Kakashi! Home so soon?" She asked before pecking him on the lips and beginning to clean up so he could enter the room.

"It's seven o'clock…at night," he stated, still in shock over the mess.

"Oh…" Ayumi stated, pausing slightly before resuming her cleaning, "How was training?"

"Tiring…but productive... What on earth are you doing?" He finally asked.

Ayumi sighed and dropped an armful of scrolls and papers into a sealing scroll, "Earlier, when I demonstrated to Naruto what the chakra cards did…I thought I saw the dust burst into flames…I've been looking through my father's things to see if there's anything to explain it…. you saw it, right?"

Kakashi nodded as he shut the door behind him, "Yes, I did."

She sighed, "Thank Kami…. do you know what it could mean?"

The man shook his head, "No…I don't. It puzzled me too when I saw it. Are you truly interested in finding out?"

"Of course," Ayumi replied while blinking.

Kakashi nodded while opening the refrigerator to find some food, "Well, you see. When you become a captain in ANBU, you learn special knowledge about the village," he closed the door and looked at Ayumi, "one thing you learn, is the existence of a vault that holds all of Konoha's records. Mostly pertaining to that of its families and clans. The information you'll want will be in there. Of course, Lady Tsunade will have to grant you permission to enter, otherwise it is inaccessible."

Ayumi smiled, "Thank you for telling me that, Kakashi. Now, how about we go get some dinner, hmm? I'd like to tell you about my mission."

"That sounds wonderful," Kakashi replied before taking her hand and exiting the apartment with her.

* * *

><p>The following morning, once Kakashi left to resume training with Naruto, Ayumi left the apartment to pay a visit to Lady Tsunade. Upon arrival at her office, however, she heard the Hokage speaking quickly to a man.<p>

"We can't just send him back! It would devastate him!"

"Well, you should've thought about that before you graduated an odd number of genin, Iruka!"

Ayumi blinked and knocked on the door. The voices grew silent quickly before Tsunade stated:

"Come in."

The lavender haired kunoichi peeked in, "Is this a bad time?"

Tsunade's expression turned from anger to realization, as she replied, "No! Of course not; come in, come in!"

Confused, Ayumi stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She nodded to Iruka before looking at Tsunade and asking:

"Lady Tsunade, I would like to request permission to-"

"Later, Ayumi," the Hokage interrupted, "Right now, I need you to look at this. Iruka, give her the file."

The teacher blinked before handing his friend a typical tan folder of average thickness. Puzzled, Ayumi opened and looked inside at its contents.

Paper-clipped to the first page was the picture of a twelve year-old looking boy with jet-black hair and silver eyes.

_'If he had green eyes like me…he'd look just like Hiroki…'_ she thought before she continued reading.

"His name is Hiroshi Kyouko," Iruka began, "Thirteen genin graduated from the Academy this year. As you know, we do teams of three, meaning four teams with one left over: him. If we don't find a jonin to take him on as an apprentice, he will have to return to the Academy. And that wouldn't be good."

Ayumi looked up at Iruka, "Why?"

"He has no family," Tsunade stated, "His father was a water affinity, medical core ninja who died in the field. His mother, a fire affinity, was killed by rogue Iwa ninja during an ANBU mission and his older sister, an earth jutsu user like him, died during an attempt a year ago to capture the Sanbi. Of course, we don't know where that tailed beast is now, but that's beside the point."

The kunoichi paled during Tsunade's speech, "An earth affinity?" _'His story…parallels mine so eerily….'_

"I would like to ask you, Ayumi," Iruka stated, "To take him on as your apprentice…"

The woman shook her head, drawing her out of her thoughts before looking at the chunin, "You know I don't like children…"

"But you apparently do so well with them," Tsunade stated, "Considering your glowing reviews during your stent as a pre-school teacher."

Feeling pressured, Ayumi sighed before looking at Iruka, "I'd like to meet him first…. then make my decision…"

Tsunade nodded, "I don't object to that. Iruka?"

The man nodded, "That's fine. C'mon Ayumi, they're meeting their sensei's now."

Iruka quickly walked past her and into the hallway. She turned to follow him before Tsunade questioned:

"By the way, what did you want to ask me, Ayumi?"

The young kunoichi sighed, "I want access to the Konoha Vaults…I want to know more about my family history since I cannot find what I'm looking for in my father's things."

Tsunade pondered the request for several moments before stating, "All right then. I'll let the guard know that you have permission. Just have someone who knows where it is show you there discreetly one day."

Ayumi nodded and thanked the Hokage before catching up with Iruka.

As the Hokage watched her go, she sighed and thought to herself, _'On another note… I wonder how Asuma and the others are handling those Akatsuki that violated the Fire Temple…'_

* * *

><p>Moments later, the pair of shinobi arrived at the small courtyard outside the Academy. Ayumi smiled as she fondly remembered the day she met her sensei with her friends. The woman scanned the crowed of genin and jonin looking for the boy in the picture before Iruka nudged her and pointed at the swing tree.<p>

"He's over there."

Ayumi gazed at where he was pointing and saw the young boy, his face a blank mask that tried to hide the sadness in his eyes. She nodded to Iruka and made her way over to the boy, nodding to the jonin she knew along the way before arriving next to him. She was surprised at how quiet this spot was before she noticed that the boy was looking at her.

"What do you want?" He asked harshly.

"Can I sit in the swing next to you?" She asked him.

He nodded and watched her sit, "Who are you?"

"My name is Ayumi Osoi. Are you Hiroshi?" She replied.

He nodded before he looked back at his friends, "It's not fair…"

Ayumi looked at him and listened closely as he continued, "First my family dies…and finally, when I become a genin…not only are they not here to be proud of me…I don't even have a team or a sensei…"

_'He's so depressed…he needs someone to help him…'_ Ayumi looked up at Iruka and nodded to him and the man returned with a smile, knowing she was going to take Hiroshi as a student.

The kunoichi looked back at Hiroshi, who was looking at her again, "You know, Hiroshi. I'm a lot like you. I don't have any family left either. My mother died before I was a genin, my father before I was chunin, and my brother before I was jonin and joined ANBU. I know it's not easy being alone, but that's what friends are for. I have many friends that I care for and that help get rid of the loneliness. Also, time heals the pain and knowing that they're watching you always."

"Yeah well…. it still hurts…" The kid replied, knowing he had been bested.

Ayumi scoffed a bit before standing, "Of course it does, it always will," she looked down at Hiroshi, "Now, we've got some work do to. Let's go."

She turned to walk away but Hiroshi's voice stopped her, "We?"

"Yeah," she looked back at him and smirked, "I'm your sensei, kid. Let's go."

Hiroshi's face lit up in excitement and joy, "You're going to be my sensei?" He jumped up and ran to her side and followed her as they headed towards a training ground, "You wouldn't happen to be the great Kakashi-sama's lady friend, would you?"

_'"The great Kakashi-sama", bahaha! I have to tell him that later.'_ Ayumi thought before replying, "Yes, I am."

"Sweet! Do you think I'll get to meet him one day?" He asked so enthusiastically.

She laughed loudly before smiling down at him, "Of course you will. It's inevitable. Now, you should be preparing yourself. When we get to the training grounds, I'll be testing your abilities."

Hiroshi nodded before beginning to steel his emotions like a good ninja and mentally prepare for any test his new sensei would give him.


	5. A Loss

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. This chapter does, finally, contain some KakashixAyumi-ness. So, I hope you guys enjoy that. Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**, **jennku**, and new-reviewer **DiEtChErRyCoLa** for reviewing! I always love reading reviews; so, keep them coming! And, if you haven't reviewed, start! Now, on with the show!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters; just those of my own creation.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Ayumi sighed as she continued blocking Hiroshi's series of punches and kicks. His speed was painfully slow for her, and Ayumi knew that was one of the first things she was going to work on with him. Suddenly, Hiroshi leapt back and flashed through hand signs with an impressive speed before creating a large boulder and sending it flying at his sensei.

The kunoichi smirked and ran towards the boulder. She jumped up in to the air and focused chakra to her extended right foot. When it collided with the boulder, it instantly smashed it to pieces and created a large cloud of dust, leaving Hiroshi partially blinded and confused.

Suddenly, in a flash of lavender and green, Hiroshi was knocked back to the ground on his stomach and Ayumi was crouching above him while pinning his arms to his back. The boy struggled slightly before huffing and relaxing.

"You didn't… even break a sweat… did you, sensei?" He asked, twisting his head back to look at her while panting heavily.

Ayumi chuckled and stood, holding a hand out to him and helping him stand as well, "Not really, but I do have to say that you have good taijutsu skills and you know a fair amount of ninjutsu. However, we need to work on your speed."

The boy nodded and continued to pant, hunching over slightly as he tried to catch his breath. Ayumi shook her head but blinked when she felt ANBU chakra approaching. The woman turned in time to see an ANBU land in a crouch a few yards from her.

"Woah…." Hiroshi whispered in disbelief as he gazed at the plain masked ANBU member.

"Ayumi-san. I apologize for interrupting your training session with your student. But urgent word has been sent out from the Hokage," the man stated.

_'Urgent word? ... What now?" _Ayumi thought before responding, "Proceed."

The ANBU turned his head ever so slightly to signal that he glanced at Hiroshi, almost with uncertainty, before standing and looking at Ayumi as he replied, "Asuma Sarutobi was killed in action today by two members of the Akatsuki. The funeral will be tomorrow morning at dawn. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The young man left as quickly as he arrived and Ayumi just stared at the empty spot where he once stood.

_'Asuma…. It can't be… Oh, poor Kurenai…'_ She thought as she turned to Hiroshi who seemed to be in as much shock and disbelief as her.

"Ayumi-sensei. Can we end training for today? Konohamaru is my friend… and… I…" Hiroshi seemed to lose his train of thought.

The woman nodded, "Of course. Go ahead."

She watched Hiroshi run off to find his friend before she turned and quickly headed to find Kurenai.

* * *

><p>The following morning, Ayumi stood next to Kakashi, Gai, Iruka, and Kurenai, dressed in a simple black dress as the funeral proceedings began.<p>

"Asuma…." Kakashi whispered.

Ayumi glanced at her lover before taking his hand and squeezing it tightly, knowing he was hurting just as badly as she was, but neither of their pain compared to Kurenai's. The lavender haired kunoichi looked past Kakashi and saw Naruto and Sakura standing next to their friends and beside Konohamaru. Ayumi's heart began to break as he cried over the loss of his Uncle while Naruto placed a hand on his shoulder and Hiroshi stood next to him, trying to whisper words of comfort to him.

As the elders finished their portion of the funeral proceedings, Tsunade stepped forward from beside them and spoke:

"It's seems odd… that today is such a beautiful day, in light of the events of late. We, as shinobi, understand the sacrifice that Asuma gave for the safety of this village, his family, his friends, and the citizens of Konoha… but even knowing this, the pain that our hearts feel is not lessened. We shall still mourn his loss like all those whose lives he touched like a warm ray of sunshine that warms our bodies and souls will mourn him. Perhaps then, that is why today is so beautiful… Perhaps, it is Asuma's way of telling us that he is in a happier place and would not want us to grieve, for he is now able to watch over us all. And frankly, I want someone like Asuma up there on my side."

Ayumi reached up with her free hand and wiped at the tears that were beginning to form as the funeral ended and people began to disperse. She released Kakashi's hand and walked over to Kurenai, waiting for her to finish her conversation before hugging her tightly and whispering:

"Kurenai, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am," she pulled back slightly, "but, never forget that Kakashi and I will always be there if you or the baby need anything."

The dark-haired woman smiled weakly, "Thank you, Ayumi."

As Kurenai turned back to Asuma's headstone, Team 10 and Konohamaru joined her. Ayumi rejoined Kakashi and followed him over to Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Yamato, and Hiroshi, the latter seemed to be in awe of all the shinobi around him.

Ayumi smiled and pulled Hiroshi next to her and motioned to Kakashi, "Hiroshi, this is the 'great Kakashi-sama' as you called him."

Kakashi forced a smile, "Hello. So, you're the man that'll be stealing my woman from me."

Hiroshi blushed furiously, "H-Hi."

"Pfft! 'The Great Kakashi-sama!'" Naruto exclaimed, "What a joke!"

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked as all of them began walking down the road.

Naruto smirked, "C'mon, Kakashi, you remember when Sakura and I first met you. You fell for the oldest trick in the book: a chalk eraser propped in the door so it would fall on your head!"

Kakashi started to protest before Ayumi interrupted, "Ooh! Or how about that time in ANBU when I snuck in to your apartment and replaced all of your masks with bright pink ones?"

"I had to wear the same one for a month before I had to change out…" Kakashi mumbled solemnly.

Hiroshi, Yamato, and Sakura began to giggle before the bubbling laughter grew into loud cackling as Naruto and Ayumi continued to tell their stories while Sai was just Sai.

Kakashi sighed in defeat, giving up on protesting their remarks, "Thanks, you two…. You always look out for me and uphold my fragile image…"

Ayumi calmed down slightly and through small giggles, nudged her lover, "Oh, c'mon. We're just teasing you. Now, how about we call go to Ichiraku, hmm?"

Everyone smiled, except Sai, and agreed.

* * *

><p>That night, Ayumi sighed as she finished drying her hair after her shower before walking back into the living room. She blinked as she noticed Kakashi staring out the window at the full moon and she slipped behind him and hugged him tightly.<p>

"Mm… I love you so much," Ayumi whispered.

The young woman looked up at the man as he turned around in her arms and gazed into her eyes as they shone brightly in the moonlight entering through the window.

"Ayumi," Kakashi spoke softly, "I want to talk to you about something important."

She blinked and released him before stepping back, "Of course… What?"

"Seeing Kurenai today… at Asuma's funeral… I realized that…. I don't…" Kakashi hesitated.

Ayumi's eyes widened in fear and premature hurt, "You don't… what? Kakashi..."

The man sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I don't want that to be either of us."

"So... what are you trying to say?" Ayumi asked, growing very worried.

"We…" Kakashi began, "We should stop seeing each other."

What occurred next surprised Kakashi; his masked cheek was met with a swift, open palmed smack from Ayumi. He stared at her, utterly dumbfounded as the skin beneath the mask stung and reddened quickly.

"Don't talk like that," Ayumi spoke softly, tears slipping out of her eyes, "you told me…years ago…that you wanted what everyone else had…regardless…of the risks… You don't mean that… Kakashi… you don't mean that…"

Kakashi stared at his lover in tears before him and knew how much he hurt her. _'You fool… she wouldn't be alive right now if the thought of you hadn't kept her going… You wouldn't be the person you are today without her…"_

The silver-haired man stepped forward and hugged her close to his chest, running a hand through her hair repeatedly to calm her down as he spoke quietly to her, "Oh Kami, Ayumi…. I'm such a fool… I'm so sorry I even suggested such a thing… I don't know what I was thinking."

He moved his hand from her hair to lift her chin to look at him and he kissed away her tears, "Can you forgive me?"

Ayumi nodded before hugging him tightly, "If you promise to never do that again!"

Kakashi nodded before picking her up bridal style and cradling her against him, "C'mon, let's go to bed."

She nodded and snuggled in close to him, "I love you, Kakashi. I always will."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head, "I love you too, Ayumi."


	6. The Pursuit

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed chapter 5 and I hope you will enjoy chapter 6! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**, **xNotUnderstood**, **jennku**, and **aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! Keep them coming and if you haven't left a review, please do! Now, on with the chapter!  
><span>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.<span>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Ayumi panted softly as her and Kakashi finally reached a secluded, hilled clearing in a small canyon behind Hokage Mountain. Kakashi glanced back at her before walking up to a medium sized boulder that to untrained eyes would just appear to be part of the scenery, but to the man, it was something more. He tapped a darkened spot on it gently while looking back at Ayumi:

"This is the entrance way to the Vault. To get inside, all you have to do is make a small cut on your palm and then a tiger hand seal before smacking the rock with the bleeding palm and pushing in a small amount of chakra. Since Tsunade has granted you permission, the boulder will move because the Keeper is expecting you. I wanted to show you this today before we both leave on our respective missions, in case you ever had some free time to come here on your own."

The kunoichi walked over and touched the boulder gently before looking at Kakashi and smiling while replying, "Thank you. I'm very anxious to start researching but all of these damn missions and training Hiroshi. Not that, I don't like them and training with him; it's just that I wish I had more time to figure out what caused the chakra card to do that."

Kakashi nodded before placing a hand on Ayumi's shoulder, "I know, Ayumi. Don't worry though; you'll get some time soon. Now, aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"

"Really, Kakashi?" Ayumi chuckled, "You're the one to be asking that. But yes, I do need to pick up a D-rank mission for Hiroshi and me. Don't _you_ have someone you need to be?"

Kakashi smiled as they began walking back down the path, "I have a mission to pick up from Tsunade as well. C'mon, I'll race you there."

Ayumi smirked, "You're sounding like Gai now."

The masked man began to reply but blinked as Ayumi suddenly took off down the path towards Tsunade's office, getting an unfair head start on him. Kakashi shook is head and began chasing after her.

* * *

><p>The masked man finally caught up to Ayumi and she laughed as he picked her up and spun her around from behind before setting her back down. They decided to make Tsunade wait a little longer as they walked down the street together, an arm around each other's waists and Ayumi's head on Kakashi's shoulder. As they passed by the river, they paused as they watched an elderly couple sitting on a bench from several yards away. They held hands as they watched their grandchildren throw breadcrumbs down to the ducks swimming and feeding.<p>

"Kakashi," Ayumi began to ask, "Do you think we'll end up like that?"

"Of course we will," the masked man replied while smiling down at her.

Ayumi turned and looked her lover in the eye, "I'll never leave you. Whether it's while I'm alive… or fighting in battle, I'll always come back to you. I'll always be here, because I want to be like them one day. I promise."

Kakashi smiled and reached up, caressing her cheek as he spoke, "And I'll never leave you. I promise as well."

The lavender haired girl smiled and kissed Kakashi quickly before they began the walk to Tsunade's office again. However, they both blushed when they met the eyes of the old couple and they nodded in acknowledgement of seeing their exchange. After that, they quickly hurried to the Hokage's office to avoid any more embarrassment.

* * *

><p>"What do you mean I can't go?" Ayumi shouted at Tsunade while balling her fists in anger. <em>'Not again...'<em>

The Hokage sighed as she rubbed her eyes and leaned back in her chair as she responded, "Emotions, Ayumi. Emotions."

The lavender haired kunoichi steeled her feelings quickly before asking once again, "Why can I not go with them, Lady Tsunade?"

The woman sat up and pointed at Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, "I'm sending these three after Hidan and Kakuzu of the Akatsuki because Asuma was their sensei. They have the right to try to avenge him. However, they need someone to lead them, which is why I'm sending Kakashi." She punctuated this statement by pointing at the man.

"Actually, Lady Tsunade, I volunteered," The sharingan user stated for clarification.

Ayumi shot him a glare before looking back at Tsunade, "And I can't go because? Asuma was my friend too, Tsunade. I can help them."

The woman shook her head and held up a blue scroll while stating firmly, and quite possibly shouting, "You and Hiroshi have a mission. Now, go! And don't protest anymore!"

Ayumi took the scroll quickly from the older woman before turning and looking at Kakashi. She hugged him tightly and whispered, "Be safe."

She swiftly left the Hokage's office and moved down the stairs rapidly. When she reached the bottom, she glanced back up in time to see the newly, and briefly, formed Team 10 leaping off towards the last reported location of the two Akatsuki members.

"Ayumi-sensei!" Hiroshi called as he was jogging towards her and waving.

"Hello, Hiroshi," Ayumi stated absent-mindedly while turning towards him. Once she looked at him, she asked:

"Did you complete those training exercises I wrote up for you?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, I did! I did everything just like you wrote down!"

She forced a smile before opening the scroll and reading over it, "Very good. Now, follow me. We have a mission."

As Ayumi began walking towards the same river where Kakashi had his altercation with Itachi and Kisame nearly three years ago, Hiroshi ran up beside her and began speaking quickly, "Ayumi-sensei! What's our mission? Is it something cool and dangerous?"

_'At least he's become more cheerful since I began training with him.'_ Ayumi chuckled, "Not dangerous, exactly. We have to clean a few of the bridges along the river. However, this is the perfect chance for you to practice chakra control by walking on water. That's the dangerous part if you can't swim."

"Aww…I wanted something more fun," the boy replied while pouting.

Ayumi chuckled and tousled his hair, even messing up his headband on his forehead in the process, "Don't worry, Hiroshi. Here soon, we'll get some cool missions."

The boy frowned as he straightened his hair and headband again, "Fine, fine. If you say so."

The woman smiled and chuckled a bit at him as they continued onward.

* * *

><p>A few hours later and several times of pulling Hiroshi out of the river when the chakra flow to his feet suddenly failed before he drowned, the five bridges in question were cleaned up: free of barnacles, scum, and some minor graffiti. They even made a few minor repairs to them being earth users, allowing Ayumi to incorporate some ninjutsu training in to this task. Hiroshi, who was now standing on a bridge while Ayumi inspected his cleaning and repair work, shivered slightly from his dampness despite the day being fairly warm. Satisfied with the job, and anxious to see if Kakashi had returned yet, Ayumi jumped up beside the boy and dismissed him, much to his pleasure, and even gave him the rest of the day off to do as he pleased.<p>

Ayumi watched him go before pulling out the mission scroll from earlier and quickly wrote the mission report, adding the details concerning the repairs in order to have them inspected by the village architect at a later date.

_'I have to remember to teach Hiroshi how to fill these out… in case I ever get incapacitated or something…_' She thought to herself before quickly finishing the report.

She pocketed the scroll upon rolling it up and quickly leapt away, heading to Tsunade's office.

* * *

><p>Finally, Ayumi arrived at the Hokage's office and knocked on the door twice before entering without an invitation as she began to grow impatient. To her surprise, Yamato, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai were standing inside. When Tsunade's eyes met Ayumi's, she smacked her forehead and groaned:<p>

"I just can't catch a break today…"

Ayumi blinked, growing very nervous and questioned, "Is this meeting about Kakashi?"

The Hokage sighed and looked up at Ayumi, "They've ran into a bit of trouble. We received a distress message a short while ago and I'm sending these four out as back up."

The kunoichi looked at the team of four before looking back at Tsunade. She quickly approached the Hokage's desk and even moved around it before dropping to her knees in front of Tsunade and lowering her head in a deep bow while speaking softly:

"Please…Lady Tsunade… I know I've been acting irrationally as of late… but please, let me go with them… don't keep me here when I can help save him…"

The older woman blinked down in surprise at the kunoichi kneeling before her. Even Yamato and Sakura were shocked by Ayumi's actions.

_'I wouldn't have let anything keep me from Dan when I thought I could've saved him… And I know Kurenai would've saved Asuma if she could've…'_ Tsunade thought to herself before sighing, "Fine. You can join them. Now, all of you hurry."

Ayumi looked up in astonishment, expecting to be shot down again, before she stood and bowed to the Hokage, thanking her before swiftly leaving with the others.

_'Hang in there, Kakashi. I'm coming…' _Ayumi thought as they leapt off towards the battle, _'Please Kami, please let him be alive and let us get there in time for us to help him and the others.'_


	7. The Rescue

Hello everyone! Based on the reviews I got, I'm very happy to say that I'm so glad that you all enjoyed chapter 6! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**, **ren-hatake**, **jennku**, and **xNotUnderstood** for reviewing! Remember, all you silent readers, I love reviews so please, leave them! I hope chapter 7 lives up to everyone's expectations; so please, enjoy!  
><span>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters; just those characters of my own design.<span>

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Kakashi did a series of backflips away from Kakuzu's attack and prepared to block it when suddenly a large wall of earth rose up between them and blocked the taijutsu attack. The sharingan user used this time to put more space between him and the Akatsuki member while he looked around and saw Naruto beginning to attack one of the black thread monsters while Ino and Choji hung back and recovered from a previous attack.

Ayumi smiled as she landed next to Kakashi along with Yamato, Sai, and Sakura.

"About time you all showed up," Kakashi stated while panting.

The Earth affinity kunoichi smirked at her lover, "I couldn't let you have all the fun."

Kakashi smiled at her through his slightly ripped and bloodied mask before quickly summoning Pakkun.

"Yo! What do you need, Kaka- Woah, you look like hell," Pakkun stated.

The man smirked, "I've looked worse. Now, I need you to follow Shikamaru's scent and take Sakura and Sai to his location while the rest of us deal with this guy."

"Okie dokie, Kakashi!" Pakkun stated while saluting him before running off after Shikamaru's sent with Sakura and Sai, dodging stray attacks as they went.

Suddenly two thread creatures and Kakuzu burst through the wall and charged the three shinobi on the other side. Kakashi leapt up to meet Kakuzu and began engaging him in hand-to-hand combat while Yamato and Ayumi began attacking the two thread creatures.

Yamato used his wood release jutsu to manipulate the movement of the creature away from the battle where he attempted to kill the water affinity creature.

Ayumi smirked as she flashed through hand signs and began launching earthen spikes at the creature who quickly weaved in and out of them and began charging towards her. She smirked as she realized that the creature was an earth user who she would at least be evenly matched with. As the being grew closer, she gathered earth around her fists to strengthen her punches. Suddenly, the creature disappeared before reappearing behind her and slashed at her back. Ayumi spun around and ducked under the clawed hand before kicking upward and sending the creature flying into a tree.

When the creature stood up, its gait was more jerky and unsteady. Ayumi's eyes narrowed as she saw that its mask was slightly cracked. She smirked when she realized what she needed to do as she charged the creature. She began throwing punches rapidly, growling slightly as the creature continued to dodge them. She leapt back and, while doing so, flashed rapidly through hand signs, creating an earth wall behind the thread creature. She charged the creature once more while pulling the wall towards her, causing the creature to be trapped between her and the wall. The thread being decided to fight back and began running at her as well. The being threw a right hook, which she deftly dodged, before she punched the being directly in the mask.

The monster flew back into the wall as its mask shattered before the entire being completely disintegrated. Ayumi smirked, panting lightly as she turned around, and witnessed Naruto destroy a second thread creature with a massive wind rasengan while Yamato impaled another with his wood release. The three of them convened and began looking for Kakashi before finding him battling Kakuzu in the treetops.

"Yamato, I have a plan," Ayumi stated.

"I'm up for any ideas at the moment," the captain replied.

She turned to him and Naruto and stated, "We're long range fighters while Naruto is a short range fighter. We all need to push Kakuzu towards Kakashi. Naruto, move in between our attacks and Kakuzu. From there, begin attacking him, but not directly. Just distract him and back him towards Kakashi, got it?"

Naruto nodded and cracked his knuckles, "Right!"

The blonde shinobi leapt off and began attacking Kakuzu from behind. While the Akatsuki member was distracted, Yamato and Ayumi began flashing through hand signs. When they finished, large spikes of wood and earth, respectively, began launching themselves out at Kakuzu from his right and left.

Kakashi stared at his teammates actions in shock, wondering why they were interfering before realizing they were trying to create an opening for him to attack the Akatsuki member. He formed the proper hand signs rapidly before creating a massive chidori and running towards Kakuzu from behind, spying an opening at last.

The masked Akatsuki member didn't even realize what had hit him until it was too late. He looked down and saw a bloodied lightning filled hand piercing his chest and through his final heart. He looked back at Kakashi and stuttered:

"H-How…. How co-could someone so y-young defeat me?"

The masked Konoha shinobi smirked, "Because, the next generation always surpasses the previous one."

Kakashi pulled his hand out of Kakuzu's chest quickly, dropping the Akatsuki member to the ground. He panted heavily before looking up at his teammates. He smiled as he saw Ayumi running towards him and he grunted as she hugged him tightly.

"Oh, thank Kami! I was so scared we wouldn't get here in time," Ayumi exclaimed.

The man smiled and squeezed her gently in his arms before they released each other, "I would've been fine… but thanks for coming anyway."

She smiled back at him and moved to check his injuries before blinking as she felt several chakra sources approaching. She turned and smiled as Sai, Shikamaru, Sakura and Pakkun arrived. The dog nodded to Ayumi and Kakashi before disappearing as the teams united.

"Shikamaru… did you…?" Choji asked.

The Nara smirked and pulled his pack of cigarettes from his pouch and dropped them to the ground, crunching them beneath his right foot and looked at everyone, "Let's just say we won't be seeing that guy anymore."

The old friends smiled and cheered and celebrated with Shikamaru as the jonin watched, smiling.

Kakashi sighed, "All right everyone, we can continue this back in Konoha. Let's go."

They all nodded and began heading back to the village. As they travelled, Ayumi fell back to be even with Shikamaru. They remained silent for a few moments before Ayumi looked at him and said:

"I'm sure you already know this, Shikamaru, but Asuma would be very proud of you."

As Shikamaru looked at her, he blinked in surprise as he noticed she was holding out her fist for him to bump, just like Asuma would do. He smiled and bumped his fist against hers and replied:

"Yeah, I know."

They smiled at each other before Ayumi caught back up with Kakashi and began helping him back home.

* * *

><p>The couple smiled as they walked out of the hospital together. Ayumi was relieved that Kakashi's injuries checked out and didn't need to stay the night while Kakashi was just relieved the he didn't have to stay the night. Silence filled the space between them as they walked through the village as the sun began to set before Kakashi suddenly stopped and looked at her, stating:<p>

"Ayumi. I would like to show you something."

The woman blinked, "All right."

He took her hand and quickly led her to a secluded forest path after walking nearly halfway across the village. As they walked down the path, Ayumi noticed that it was surprisingly up-kept for obviously being so rarely used.

"Kakashi, where are you taking me?" Ayumi asked, very confused and not recognizing where they were.

The man didn't reply as he continued leading her down the path before finally stopping as they reached a clearing. Ayumi gasped as she saw the beautifully ornate house in the middle of the forest. The house, though empty for several years, had been well maintained so that anyone could move in at any time.

As Ayumi gazed at the house before her, she noticed that on a porch post was an aged, hand-painted sign that read:

"**Hatake Residence"**

She blinked and looked at her lover and asked, "Kakashi, was this where you lived when you were younger?"

The man nodded and led her up the porch steps and then unlocked the door. They entered the house and ignored the musky smell as they walked around.

"I wanted to show you this. Even though I haven't lived here since I was little, I couldn't tear it down or sell it… as strange as it seems, there's a part of me that wants my family, if I get the chance to have one, to live here… that's also why I have been paying someone to maintain it…" He stated as they moved from room to room.

"Kakashi, this house is beautiful," she stated as she took in her surroundings.

She freed her hand from Kakashi's and began exploring on her own before stopping as she stared into a large training room with a dark stain on the floor.

_'They couldn't get it out…'_ "Was this…where…." Ayumi began to ask, but she didn't have the heart to finish.

Kakashi walked up beside her and nodded, "Yes."

She sighed, seeing the pain in his eye as he remembered the night his father committed suicide and realized how much it hurt him to be here, but it made her cherish the fact that he shared this with her more. She gripped his hand tightly and stated:

"You know, Kakashi. We could always tear down this room and I could have a nice garden here…maybe with our own private memorial to those we've lost."

Kakashi smiled and looked down at her, "You always know how to make me feel better. Thank you."

She stood on her tiptoes and removed his mask before kissing him softly on the lips then replacing his mask.

"C'mon, let's go home," she stated before gripping his hand.

He nodded and led her back out of his childhood home before heading back to their apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> While I know I am a "stick to the canon" story type, I do want to say that, although the outcome of the battle was still the same, I changed some of the events of the Kakuzu fight in order to show off more of Ayumi's strength (which I severely hope I did). Either way (*steps off soap box*), I hope you all still enjoyed it.


	8. A Search

Hello everyone! I'm so relieved that Chapter 7 went over well and I hope you all enjoy chapter 8 as much! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**, **ren-hatake**, and **jennku** for reviewing! Remember all you readers out there, reviews make me smile. So, please, leave a review! Without further a-do. Here is the next chapter!  
><span>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.<span>

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><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Hiroshi panted as he jogged towards the village square in the market district. He felt horrible for being late but was very excited that Ayumi-sensei was starting a new training regimen with him. He wondered what it could be as he saw Ayumi sitting on a bench by the small garden in the center of the square.

The boy quietly approached for she seemed to be meditating in the center of the loud junction. He stood before his sensei and opened his mouth to speak before Ayumi quickly opened her eyes and shouted at him:

"Boo!"

Hiroshi jumped slightly and blushed as Ayumi began to laugh before patting the seat next to her.

"Good morning, Hiroshi. Sorry to scare you," she stated while smiling at him.

The boy grumbled before sitting beside her and looking around, "So, Ayumi-sensei, what are we doing here?"

She smiled and unfolded her legs before looking at him, "Today, we'll be learning about chakra."

"Ayumi-sensei," Hiroshi groaned, "I know all about chakra."

The woman smirked, "All right then, Mr. Know-It-All. If you believe that you know all about chakra, then tell me which of the citizens around us are the clones that have been transformed to look like citizens and have been hidden amongst the normal citizens since before you arrived thirty minutes late."

Hiroshi blinked at her before looking around. He remained silent for several minutes before looking down and mumbling:

"I can't…"

Ayumi smiled and patted him on the back, "It's okay, Hiroshi. That's why we're here. I wanted to teach you this today so that way, when we begin getting missions outside of the village, you can practice this technique. It'll help you a lot when you become a jonin and if you join ANBU, it'll be a very good skill to have. Now, you see the woman selling jewelry? She is a citizen. Do you feel her chakra and how lacking in control it is? And can you also feel how weak it is? You can usually distinguish citizens by those criteria. While a citizen may have a greater amount of chakra than normal, it will usually lack in control. Got it?"

The boy nodded, "So, the old man selling pottery, he's a citizen too?"

She smiled and nodded, "Exactly. Now, to tell if a clone or shinobi is hiding, you look for either a large chakra signature or one that is being very controlled. Since, if it's being controlled, it means it's being suppressed, which would signal a shinobi. Additionally, they may be leaking chakra from a suppressed one if they are disguising themselves. So, tell me. Where are some clones?"

The boy bit is lower lip gently in concentration as he looked around. A few minutes passed before he stated:

"The woman playing the flute is a clone. The man selling cloth is a clone and the man buying meat buns is a clone."

Ayumi smiled, "That's three, but there are still 27 others out there."

Hiroshi groaned, "Do I have to find them all?"

She smirked, "Eventually. Now, the last thing I want to talk to you about is identifying home villages of shinobi. You see, the chakra of each shinobi has a different feel to it based on their home village. For instance, you see that Konoha genin over there? See how his chakra feels fiery? That's an actual representation of the 'Will of Fire' of the village and it reflects that he is from the Land of Fire."

The young genin nodded, "Ahh, okay. I feel it."

"Now, you see that group of visiting Suna shinobi?" Ayumi asked while pointing to them, "what do you feel?"

Hiroshi studied them for several moments while focusing on their chakra before looking at his sensei, "Their chakra feels…dry…. and it feels very warm… almost hot… but not fiery."

Ayumi smiled, "Exactly. Their chakra directly reflects they are from Suna, a desert village, with several wind affinity users."

"So, once you learn to associate chakra traits with a village, you can determine where a shinobi is from?" Hiroshi asked for clarification.

"Yes," Ayumi replied, "which can be very helpful in identifying approaching enemies. Additionally, even though a shinobi can suppress their chakra, it is very difficult to suppress the _identity_ of their chakra. So, while it may take longer to identify their chakra, you can still do it."

Hiroshi nodded before looking up at Ayumi, "So, where are you from then, Ayumi-sensei?"

She blinked at her student, "What do you mean, Hiroshi? I'm from the Leaf Village."

The boy tilted his head in confusion, "But… beneath the fiery feeling of your chakra…. There's another."

"What does it feel like then?" She asked him, very curious.

"It feels… firm… like earth." He replied.

_'Earth?... But that… I have to find time to research my family history. I have to see if this could possibly be true.'_ She thought to herself before replying, "Hmm… that's interesting. I'm not sure what it could mean. Now, take this scroll and write down the identities of the other clones. Once you're done. It's on to some speed training."

She handed him the scroll and pencil before laughing softly as he groaned and got to work.

* * *

><p>Ayumi and Hiroshi thanked Teuchi as he placed their ramen orders in front of them: a chicken and beef, respectively.<p>

"Thank you so much for dinner, Ayumi-sensei!" Hiroshi exclaimed before beginning to dig in.

She smiled and sipped her sake before stirring her ramen slightly while replying, "You're welcome, Hiroshi. You worked very hard today and you've doubled your speed. That's very impressive for one day of hard work on top of this morning's chakra lesson."

He smiled proudly at her before he continued to eat. Ayumi began eating as well, deciding that when she returned home, she was going to take a nice bubble bath before curling up in bed next to Kakashi and sleeping like there was no tomorrow. However, these peaceful thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Ayumi, confused that she didn't sense anyone approach, turned to see Kakashi staring back at her solemnly. He wore the typical poncho used for long-distance travel missions and Ayumi could see, thanks to his outstretched arm, that he was packed for several days of travel. She stood up and stepped out of Ichiraku.

"Kakashi, what's going on?" She asked, concerned.

He sighed before answering, "I'm heading to meet a team of shinobi at the east gate. Tsunade, after receiving a report from Jiraiya's inside man that Orochimaru was killed by Sasuke's hand wants us to go after him. However, since we know that Sasuke is pursuing Itachi, we're going after the older Uchiha, in hopes of intercepting Sasuke in the process or after he exacts his revenge."

The kunoichi blinked, taking in the information her lover just delivered, before saying, "But you just tried to go after Sasuke and got distracted by the three-tails I…" she sighed in defeat and hugged him tightly, "I'm going to miss you so much."

He smiled sadly as he hugged her back, "I know. I'm going to miss you too."

She released him and looked up at him before caressing his cheek as she stated, "I know you know this, but come back to me."

Kakashi smiled and kissed the palm of her hand through his mask, "Don't worry. I always will."

He embraced her once more before quickly heading off to meet his team. Ayumi sighed as she watched him go before taking her place beside Hiroshi once again. She began eating her ramen much more slowly than before however. The genin noticed this and forced a smile while punching her lightly on her upper arm:

"C'mon, Ayumi-sensei! It's Kakashi-sama after all! He makes it through anything!"

Ayumi looked at Hiroshi and smiled, "You're right, Hiroshi. He'll be fine."

As she resumed eating her ramen with vigor, Ayumi couldn't help feeling reassured by Hiroshi's words.

* * *

><p>The following day, Ayumi arrived at the training ground to find Hiroshi stretching. She smiled at him and held out a scroll:<p>

"I made this for you after dinner. It's a physical strengthening regimen for you. I want you to do it as many times as it takes until you grow tired. Okay?"

The boy nodded, "Okie dokie, Ayumi-sensei. What will you be doing though, sensei?"

"I have something I need to do, is that alright?" She asked.

Hiroshi nodded and went about doing the first exercise as Ayumi quickly leapt off towards the Konoha Records Vault.

* * *

><p>After a few minutes of travel, she finally arrived before the boulder that blocked the entrance. Ayumi quickly pulled out a kunai and sliced her palm before performing a tiger seal and smacking the boulder.<p>

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, causing Ayumi to take a few steps back. She looked up in time to see the boulder sliding to the left slowly. When it stopped halfway, Ayumi stepped inside the dark cavern, jumping slightly as the door slid shut behind her.

Green eyes met blackness and they tried to adjust to make out any shapes possible, but without even the tiniest amount of light, they were blind. Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of gems began to glow inside the tunnel, illuminating it perfectly. Ayumi carefully walked down the carved hall before entering a massive room with extremely high ceilings filled with several hundred shelves and tables and lit by torches. At precise locations around the room, large archways opened to more rooms with even more scrolls and books. She stared in awe at the enormous vault before a voice reached her ears:

"So, you're the one Tsunade talked about."

Ayumi turned to her left and smiled as a man who appeared to be in his late fifties approached her. She bowed slightly to him and stated:

"Yes, sir. I am Ayumi Osoi."

He smiled and bowed in return, "You may call me Jin. Now, to help you out, I pulled the documents that you would need since Tsunade said that you expressed interest in researching your family."

He began walking towards a massive table in the middle of the room that was piled at least two feet high with scrolls and books. She followed him, smiling:

"Thank you very much, Jin-san. This saves me a great deal of time considering the enormity of this place."

Jin smiled, "You're welcome. I understand that the life of a shinobi is very chaotic and that free time is few and far between and very precious. Now," he pulled out the chair at the table for her as they reached it, "the items on the right hand side belong to your mother's side of your family while the left hand side is your father's. If you need anything else, let me know."

She sat down and thanked him before pulling a file from her mother's side. She smiled as it was a folder containing information about her mother and she gingerly touched the photo of her paper clipped to the files.

_'I remember where I got my eyes now… but this hair escapes me,'_ she laughed to herself before beginning to skim read.

After several minutes of seeing nothing that would explain the behavior of the chakra card, she moved on to a scroll that contained information about her grandfather. Over time, she slowly sorted through her mother's family history, becoming intrigued as she read that if someone was a water style user, then, typically, his or her spouse was a fire style user to act as a balance; a strange tradition that her family tried to uphold until their numbers began to dwindle. She also found it interesting that her mother came from a small clan where water affinity users used their water techniques to amplify their healing chakra.

_'That explains why so many of mother's ancestors and relatives were medical ninjas. Glad that worked for them. I gave up on that venture when I couldn't do more than heal small cuts on myself. It's a shame though that the secret died out with my mother,' _she thought to herself before sitting back in her chair, looking at the pile of information next to her that she had combed over for several hours, _'However, I didn't read anything that would explain what I saw. It must come from my father's side then.'_

The lavender-haired kunoichi sat up and reached for a scroll before looking at a clock on a wall directly in front of her. She gasped when it read ten p.m.

"Have I been here for nine hours?" She asked aloud and jumped when Jin replied from beside her.

"Yes, you have. I didn't want to disturb you since you seemed very close to finishing your mother's side, but I would like to go home as well," he chuckled softly as he finished his statement.

Ayumi nodded and stood, bowing to Jin while stating, "I apologize for keeping you here so late. Hopefully, I will be able to return tomorrow. If not, will you keep my father's things out for me?"

The man nodded, "Yes, I will. Now, go home, Ayumi-san. Rest."

She smiled and bowed again before quickly exiting out of the way she came in. Her stomach growled loudly, but knowing that nothing would be open at this hour, she quickly went home. Upon arrival, she ate a quick meal consisting of a bowl of cereal before climbing into bed after showering and slipping into some pajamas and immediately falling asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Very close now... very close now indeed...<strong>


	9. A Discovery

Hello everyone! I'm glad, it seems, that you all enjoyed the last chapter. Finally, we shall get some answers! I hope they are surprising and satisfactory. Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma**,** ren-hatake**, **jennku**, and** Aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! I always love reading reviews, so keep them coming! Also, for ren-hatake, I find that reading the manga works for me with my busy college schedule; you might want to try that since it only takes a few minutes to read. Anyway, without further a-do, enjoy!  
><span>Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters; just those of my own design.<span>

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

Ayumi sighed as she sat beneath a tree at the training grounds by the river. She had been waiting for Hiroshi fro thirty minutes and was wondering what was keeping him. Finally, he ran into the training grounds panting heavily as he skidded to a halt in front of her.

"A-Ayumi-sensei! I'm so sorry I'm late!" He exclaimed as he panted heavily while hunched over.

She laughed and stood up, "It's okay, Hiroshi. I'm used to Kakashi being late, so it's no big deal."

He smiled up at her and straightened up, trying to hide the fact that he was wincing while holding his back.

The kunoichi raised an eyebrow before asking, "Hiroshi? How long did you train yesterday?"

The boy blushed sheepishly, "Um…about 7 or so hours… why?"

Ayumi sighed before patting him gently on the head, "Go home, okay? Rest for today. You're in no condition to train."

Hiroshi sighed in relief before thanking her and heading off back to his apartment to sleep. Ayumi watching him leave before quickly leaping off towards the vault.

_'What luck! I do get to go back today!'_

However, fate decided to tease her a little. For as she approached the base of Hokage Mountain, a green flash landed in front of her and she groaned as she came to a halt.

"Gai… what do you want?" She asked, slightly agitated.

The man grinned broadly, his teeth seeming to sparkle in the sunlight, "Ayumi! How easily you forget that, as my eternal rival's lover, you are also my rival! We have met in battle 46 times before and currently, we are tied! So, today, I would like to challenge you to a riddle contest! Whoever can stump the other first, wins!" He exclaimed enthusiastically while doing his typical nice guy pose.

Ayumi sighed, _'Great… this could take forever…' _"You can go first."

He smirked, "Ahh, admitting defeat already! But, I shall do as you request. Now, what is it that you can keep after giving it to someone else?"

The kunoichi thought about the riddle for several moments before smirking, "Your word."

"Ahh! Ayumi, you are too clever! Now, it is your turn to try to stump me," the spandex clad man stated.

She sighed, growing more agitated as the time passed for she knew that if he kept this pace up, she would never get to the vault. Finally, she thought of something that would get him:

"What's black and blue and _green_ all over?"

"Hmm…now, that is a tricky one, Ayumi! Black and blue… and green no less! Hmm… I shall say… a painted tree?" Gai replied.

Ayumi stared at him, very puzzled by his answer before shaking her head, "No. It's you beaten up if you don't leave me alone!"

Gai jumped slightly at the threat before grinning sheepishly, "Good one, Ayumi! You win this around, but I shall be back!"

The man leapt away quickly, wondering if Kakashi was beginning to rub off on her before shaking his head. Ayumi smirked as he left before quickly continuing to her original destination.

* * *

><p>Ayumi sighed and rubbed her eyes. She had been reading the history of her father's line for several hours now and what she found intrigued her. Her father was the only child and only son of her grandparents of which her grandfather was an earth affinity. He was the only son of her great-grandparents of which her great-grandparents were earth affinities as well. However, when she tried to find information about her great-grandfather, and even her great-grandmother, beyond that little bit, there was nothing to be found. She had only been so sure of one thing before in her life before this: her great-grandparents, at least, had to be the source of the difference in her chakra.<p>

She heard footsteps approaching and she turned to see Jin standing next to her.

"Have you found anything of interest, Ayumi-san?" He asked.

She sighed, "Well, I believe that my great-grandfather, Roiyaru Osoi, is the one who I need to read about; possibly my great-grandmother, Nagoyaka, but since she was not a shinobi, I assume not.. However, I cannot find anything in these records. It's as if they don't exist."

Jin sighed and placed his hand on Ayumi's shoulder, "Ayumi-san. I remember the location of every file in this whole vault and I can tell you, that file is not here. It is classified so highly, that only Lady Tsunade and select elders have permission to view it, and, as such, it is kept in the Hokage's office. If you wish to see it, you must ask her."

She blinked at Jin before inquiring, "Did you know that this would happen?"

The man shrugged, "It depended on what you were looking for."

She nodded and stood, bowing deeply to him, "I apologize for making you remove so many documents for my sake."

He laughed and smiled, "It was a pleasure. It is rare that I receive visitors with a desire to learn. It was a treat. Please, come back."

She nodded and bid him farewell and good fortune before quickly exiting the vault and heading directly to Tsunade's office.

_'I am so close to learning the truth… I can feel it.'_

* * *

><p>Tsunade sighed as she enjoyed a finely aged sake, being Hokage had its perks, but its downsides as well. She reached for the bottle on her desk before blinking, as there was a knock on the door.<p>

Sighing as the put away the drink, she stated, "Come in."

Ayumi entered quickly and bowed slightly, "Lady Tsunade, I apologize for disturbing you, however-"

"Get to the point, Ayumi," Tsunade stated.

She sighed, straightening up and looking at the Hokage, "I wish to see the file concerning Roiyaru Osoi. I've hit a dead end in my research about my family history and I would like to read his file."

Tsunade stared at Ayumi for several moments before sighing and pulling out a key from inside her jacket. She unlocked a drawer in her desk and pulled out a large tan scroll.

"You have a right to this, even I can't deny you that," Tsunade stated as Ayumi took it, "But please, stay in this office and read it. Some of the elders might not be too pleased if you read the contents of that scroll."

Ayumi blinked at Tsunade before thanking her and beginning to read.

_'Roiyaru Osoi… Iwagakure ninja… wait, what? Iwagakure ninja turned spy for Konoha during the First Shinobi World War after several members of his clan were sent on a mission that left them all dead. Tired of war, he did what he could to try and stop the fighting. When Iwa discovered his treachery, assassins were sent out. Only two survived: Roiyaru and his wife. Konoha sheltered them and they began their lives anew here. Both were earth affinity users; however, Roiyaru was blessed with the ability to also use Lava Release techniques, a rarity even amongst his clan. So...Lava release… well, that explains the incidence with the chakra card… and my chakra… I have an ancestor from Iwa… I still have traces of Iwa in me…'_

Ayumi began glancing through the scroll, skimming over the information before pausing as she found a page from a journal entry with hand seals on it.

_ 'The _Supernova_ technique, developed by Roiyaru, is a technique that uses the users life force to strengthen the devastation of the attack along with a lava release technique. The attack decimates all life within a one hundred foot radius, but because of the great strain on the body, it has a ninety percent mortality rate.'_

She committed the technique to memory rapidly before beginning to roll up the scroll; however, she noticed something else. There was a journal entry that was labeled as the last entry before his death, it read:

_'Though, I would change nothing of what I have done with my life, for my family has prospered in Konoha. The one thing I wish I could have before I died would be forgiveness from my Kage…for my crimes against him and my home.'_

Ayumi rolled up the scroll but paused slightly and stared sadly at the hand-painted portrait of her great-grandparents.

_'I'm sure you would be forgiven; I'm sure you would be.'_

She stood and gave the scroll back to Tsunade, saying, "Thank you so very much, Lady Tsunade."

The Hokage smiled, "You're welcome. However, I would like to ask something of you. Another mission to Ishi," she held up three scrolls, "One of these is the mission scroll. The other two are peace treaties with Ishigakure. Please, have them sign them both and bring one back. Both already contain my signature so when they sign it, our treaty will be complete. Leave out in the morning and take Hiroshi with you, understood?"

Ayumi smiled at Tsunade, "Yes, Hiroshi will be ecstatic that we'll have a mission outside of the village. Goodnight, Lady Tsunade."

She bowed again and left the Hokage's office while tucking the scrolls into her kunai pouch, smiling to herself.

_'I'm quite possibly a lava release user…hmm…I believe I have time to test out that theory.'_

Before heading to the training grounds, she stopped at the library and copied a few scrolls about Lava Release techniques before leaving to test her, possibly, new found abilities.


	10. A Reunion

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you thoroughly enjoy the new one! I am very proud of this chapter and _extremely_ happy with how it turned out. So, I want all of you to enjoy it as well! Thank you to **jennku**, **ren-hatake**, **yyh-ygo-fma, **and **Aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! I love reaing reviews; so, keep it up and review if you haven't! Now, on to the story!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto<em> or its characters; just those of my own design.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

The following morning, after dragging Hiroshi out of bed and instructing him how to properly pack an overnight bag for their mission. The two of them promptly left at a steady pace, having to slow down because Hiroshi wasn't ready to maintain the pace that Ayumi could. However, the kunoichi didn't mind travelling just a little faster than Hiroshi could in order to push him and simultaneously train him on the way to Ishigakure.

"Ayumi-sensei? How long will it take for us to travel to Ishi?" Hiroshi asked.

The woman smiled, "Well, we are three hours outside of Konoha already. At this pace ... twenty-six more hours."

The boy paled slightly, "Will we stop to rest soon?"

She laughed, "We'll stop eventually."

Hiroshi groaned, worried that it would be a long time before they did stop.

* * *

><p>Finally, in the wee hours of the subsequent morning, Ayumi and Hiroshi arrived at the village. As part of her observant nature, Ayumi recognized many villagers as they started their day early as one of the gate guards led her and her student to the daimyo's home. She was relieved to see that the villages didn't seem so fearful of her, but she did noticed that several more buildings seemed damaged since she was last here.<p>

"Have there been more attacks from the gang?" She asked the guard as they began up the hill towards the daimyo's abode.

The guard remained silent and merely replied with a nod. She accepted this and looked forward before smiling as she recognized a familiar face approaching. She bowed once they were closer with Hiroshi following suit, as she stated:

"Atsui-san, how nice it is to see you again."

The man bowed in return before dismissing the guard then replying, "Ayumi-san. I see that Kami has kept an eye on you since we parted. And, who is this young man?"

Hiroshi grinned, "I'm Hiroshi Kyouko. Ayumi-sensei is my sensei!"

Ayumi chuckled softly, "Yes, Hiroshi is my student."

The elderly man smiled, "That's wonderful. I have always believed that teaching is a very honorable path to travel down. Now, Yangu-sama will be sitting down for breakfast soon. Would you and Hiroshi like to join him?"

Before Ayumi could graciously decline, Hiroshi's stomach betrayed her and she sighed as Atsui lead them the rest of the way to the manor and to the dining room for breakfast.

* * *

><p>Following breakfast, Yangu signed the peace treaty while carefully avoiding any statements that could offend Ayumi. She was proud she had gotten through to him. Once everything was in order, Ayumi and Hiroshi stood to leave before Yangu stood and asked:<p>

"Ayumi-san, wouldn't you and your student like to stay the night? A dreadful storm is supposedly heading this way and you two would be much safer here tonight."

The kunoichi bowed slightly, "I thank you for your offer, Yangu-san. However, we are needed back in our village as soon as possible and I would like to head out immediately."

The daimyo nodded before siting again, "Well, just know that if you get caught in the storm and can't make it home, you both are welcome to return here and stay."

"Thank you very much," Ayumi replied while forcing a smile.

* * *

><p>Atsui escorted them back to the gate while Ayumi carefully placed the scroll in her kunai pouch. As they neared the gate, a light rain began to fall from the already blackened sky.<p>

"Can I convince you to stay then, Ayumi-san?" Atsui questioned.

She smiled, "I'm sorry, but we can't. Thank you though. May Kami bless you."

"And you," Atsui replied while bowing before turning and heading back to his master's home.

With that, Hiroshi and Ayumi left the village, deciding to walk for a little as they talked about ninjutsu. The rain began to fall harder and Ayumi paused to pull two ponchos out of Hiroshi's pack.

"Ayumi-sensei, why couldn't we have stayed?" The boy asked.

She sighed, "Because, the last time I was here, the daimyo hit on me. I don't like him."

"Oh," Hiroshi replied.

Before Ayumi found the ponchos the loud crack and bright flash of lightning blinded her eyes and deafened her ears for the briefest of moments. When her vision cleared, five men stood five yards from her and Hiroshi.

"Well, well. What do we have here boys? Two Konoha ninja caught in a storm," the leader stated with a smirk.

_'Goumon…' _She thought to herself as she stared at the leader while pulling her hands from the back pack.

"Hey… hey boss," a twitchy natured man began, "what are we going to do to them, hmm?"

Goumon smirked, "Well. I say we kill them. Don't want that treaty getting back to Konoha after all. And with them being killed, Konoha will never trust these lands again. We'll be free to continue our lives as we please."

Ayumi narrowed her eyes as she pushed Hiroshi behind her a bit while the gang chuckled. She sensed his growing fear and knew he wouldn't be much help in a fight.

"I don't think you'll be doing anything to us… Goumon…." Ayumi stated as menacingly as she could.

The sandy-haired man with coal eyes quirked an eyebrow, "You say my name with such disdain. How do you know me?"

The kunoichi gave a sarcastic smile, "You don't remember? How could you though? It was so long ago."

She tossed her head slightly, her wet bangs moved slowly off of her face, and revealed the swirled scar on her face that he had given her.

Goumon's eyes widened before he began laughing, "I do remember you! Ha! You're still alive and you made it home! I'm surprised they accepted you after how broken your mind was."

"It must not have been too broken. After all, I gave you no secrets of Konoha," she replied, smirking.

"Hey… hey boss! Who's this chick, huh?" The twitchy fellow asked again.

"Her name is Ayumi Osoi of the Leaf, obviously. I captured her years ago when I was part of a larger organization and tortured her. I was surprised with how strong she was, since the Leaf is very pathetic after all."

"Don't you dare say anything about the Leaf Village!" Hiroshi exclaimed before being quickly shushed by Ayumi.

"Who's the squirt, hm?" Goumon asked, "Not yours, he's too old. A student? Hmm… interesting. I wonder if you care for him half as much as you care for that Hatake fellow. Word amongst S-ranked criminals is you two are seeing each other. What a wonderful way to collect that bounty, eh? Luring him in with his lover."

She narrowed her eyes, "You won't harm a hair on his head. I won't let you."

"Oh really now?" The leader asked as the rain poured down upon them all, "You'll make sure of that. Well, let's just see. Get her, boys, and the squirt."

The four men surrounding Goumon quickly ran towards Ayumi and Hiroshi. The kunoichi placed a hand on Hiroshi's chest and pushed him back quickly, causing him to slide back on the now muddy road. The twitchy man reached her first, attempting to kick her in the head. She quickly grabbed his ankle and spun around, tossing him at the two men on the end before blocking a punch from the remaining attacker. She twisted her hand around and grabbed his wrist before pulling his arm tight across his body. She broke his arm swiftly with a hard punch to the elbow and then used him as a shield as the twitchy man jumped up and thrust a kunai at her.

The man stabbed his own coworker in the heart and Ayumi thrust the limp body on top of the attacker. The two men who had been previously knocked down descended upon Ayumi and she blocked their attacks as fast as she could before being punched back into a tree. She slid to the ground before quickly jumping up into a crouch as they turned towards Hiroshi. She flashed through hand signs and punched the ground hard after a shield of earth rapidly formed around the fist while shouting:

"Earth Release: Multiple Earth Fist Jutsu!"

She looked up in time to see one man being pummeled to death as the other turned and charged towards her. She flashed through hand signs and created an earthen spear-like object and ran forwards. She dodged the swipe of a kunai from the attack and thrust the spear through his chest and continuing her forward momentum until the spear embedded in a tree across the road.

Ayumi heard a battle cry from behind her and spun around as the twitchy man began to descend upon her with a kunai aimed at her heart.

"Gotcha bitch!" He shouted before suddenly gasping and tensing.

As he fell limp on the ground before her, the kunoichi looked up and smiled as Hiroshi stood wide-eyed at the man on the ground, a kunai embedded deep in the man's back.

"Thanks, Hiroshi."

The boy didn't reply; he only remained silent and paled faced as a chuckle reached their ears.

"It's nice to see that your speed and taijutsu has improved over the years… Ayumi," Goumon stated as he cracked his neck.

Her eyes widened. _'He's a lightning release user… Hiroshi won't stand a chance against him if I die…'_ She quickly knelt before her student, slipping off her pack and vest, before handing him the peace treaty then speaking softly to him, "Keep the scroll dry and don't let my vest get ruined. Use my supplies if you have to. Head back to the village as fast as you can and stay off the ground. He could electrocute you if he wished."

"I won't leave you, sensei!" Hiroshi shouted over a roar of thunder.

She smiled weakly at him, "It's my job to protect you! Now go!"

The boy scrunched up his face slightly to hold back tears before he leapt off into the trees. Suddenly, she saw Goumon flash through hand signs and point two fingers at Hiroshi whose chakra was now masked with near expert skill thanks to Ayumi.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Spear!"

"No!" Ayumi shouted as she quickly leapt into the path of the attack, gasping heavily as it struck her in the stomach and sent her flying back down the path in a spinning motion.

She struck the ground hard face down despite the fact that several inches of it was now mud. Pain radiated out from her stomach wound with white-hot intensity and the stark contrast of the cool, wet mud intensified the pain. Ayumi's body twitched slightly as the last of the lightning dissipated from her. She weakly looked up at Goumon with her hair loose from its ponytail and plastered to her neck while panting heavily as he spoke to her.

"How pitiful. This is almost like how we captured you before. Except it was your back and Megumi dealt that blow, right? Does that scar still bother you? It was quite massive, wasn't it?" He chuckled darkly, "That boy may have gotten away, but it's all right. I'd rather have you so I can get at the cash cow of a lover you have."

"How… How did you know… about Kakashi and I?" She asked through pants.

The man smirked, "Even the Akatsuki will divulge information for a certain price."

_'Akatsuki? How do they know? Itachi, perhaps?'_

Goumon began taking menacingly slow steps towards her, "Konoha is pathetic, you know. Can't even make you a respectable kunoichi. But don't worry, you won't be shaming Konoha any longer, once I capture you again to get Hatake, I'll kill you. And him? Trust me, he'll suffer more that you did when you were being held. Oh, and your student... tch... I have a feeling he'll pursue you as well if you're captured. I'll make suffer too. I'll even give him a little token to remember you by if I let him live: a matching scar."

Ayumi's hands, which had by a higher power, landed near each other, quickly formed a series of complex hand signs before she buried her left hand in the mud as she whispered:

"I think not…. Lava Release: Rain of Fire!"

The ground rumbled before a pillar of lava erupted from her left and flew into the air before descending upon Goumon. It caught him up like a wave would a swimmer in the ocean and encased him in searing pain from the shoulders down around twenty feet in the air.

Shakily, Ayumi stood and flashed through more hand signs: "Earth Release: Column of Stone."

A small column about two feet high appeared before Goumon and when Ayumi stepped on it, she rose to be face to face with him.

"You know, Goumon, I wouldn't have killed you or your men today. However, you made three mistakes."

"Oh yeah? What were they?" He asked.

Collecting earth from the column around her first she punched Goumon in the face, freeing him from the lava and slamming him into the ground in a small crater. His burns and lacerations forced him to lie there as Ayumi leapt down and landed with her right foot on his throat, parallel to his chin, and the other foot next to his chest. She applied gentle pressure as she explained:

"Your first was insulting my village. You fear Konoha's strength. Don't you dare lie. Your second," she applied more pressure, "was threatening my lover. Kakashi Hatake could lay waste to you in mere seconds. Don't fool yourself otherwise. And finally," she applied the greatest pressure of all, leaving him gasping from breath, "was threatening my student. No one, **no one, **does that and lives."

Before Goumon could retort, she snapped her foot hard to the right, breaking his neck and killing him. As the cold rain fell on her shoulders, she couldn't help but begin crying hot tears of happiness that she had destroyed someone who had caused her so much pain and no doubt others as well. However, she felt the greatest sense of pride that she had protected the things she fights for.

A chakra source landed next to her and she looked to her left to see Hiroshi standing there wide-eyed, protecting her jacket ,pack, and the scroll as requested.

She took a few shaky steps towards him, ignoring her bleeding and blackened stomach injury as she spoke, "C-C'mon, Hiroshi… L-Let's-"

Ayumi collapsed forward, darkness enveloping her quickly.


	11. An Awakening

Hello everyone! I seemed like you all enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy the new installment! Thank you **xNotUnderstood**, **yyh-ygo-fma**, **jennku**, and **Aniwolfgirl** for reviewing! Remember, all you readers out there, I love reviews; so, please review! Now, on with the chapter!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto <em>or its characters; just those of my own creation.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

Birds chirped and sang softly outside of the window through which light was shining through and directly onto Ayumi's closed eyes. She stirred slightly and began to realize that the mattress she was lying on was softer than her's and Kakashi's back in Konoha and, also because of the softness, she knew she also wasn't in the hospital since their beds were _extremely_ firm. She shifted slightly and realized she was lying on her back with her arms at her sides and she felt bandages on her body. This helped her realize that the events of late were real and not a dream. Finally, she opened her eyes and did not recognize her surroundings. The walls were a pale green with gold painted trim on the walls. The bed was fairly large, but small in comparison to the massive room she was in. The cream colored silk sheets rustled slightly as she began sitting up. However, she paused as the doors directly across from the bed opened.

"Ayumi-sensei! You're awake!" Hiroshi shouted before running over to the bed and flopping down on the bed next to her on his stomach.

She laughed before wincing as a maid helped her sit up fully and fluffed pillows behind her, "Please, I don't need all of this treatment."

"Oh, but we're happy to do this for the kunoichi that rid our lands of that menace," Atsui replied from the entrance of the room.

Ayumi smiled at him as he strode over to her beside, "I was just doing my duty as a good shinobi, but now I am in your debt."

The man laughed, "No; we are still in yours."

She smiled, "If you say so. If you don't mind me asking, what time is it? And what day?"

Atsui laughed softly, "It is seven a.m. of your tomorrow."

"So," Ayumi began, "Hiroshi and I left yesterday? Then I had to be brought back here?"

The man nodded while Hiroshi replied, "It's the only thing I could think of, Ayumi-sensei. I knew I couldn't get you back to the village by myself. I'm sorry."

She smiled at her student, "It's okay, Hiroshi. You did very good."

The boy smiled sheepishly before turning his head as a person from the entrance to the room exclaimed:

"There is our savior!"

Ayumi inwardly groaned as the daimyo approached her bed before bowing deeply to her.

"I apologize greatly, Ayumi-sama, for the things I said to you during our first encounter. While I believed what you said in part afterwards, I know fully believe you and understand even more. You are a great shinobi," the daimyo stated.

She sighed, "Rise, Yangu-san. I do not deserve such praise. Goumon belittled things that I hold dear… and he bestowed the scars I bear upon me years ago… It was a pleasure to do you this service."

The daimyo nodded, "How do you feel, Ayumi-sama?"

_'Seems we're sticking with "sama" then,' _she thought to herself before replying, "Sore, but well. If you don't mind, I'd like something to eat before departing. I'm sure Tsunade-sama is worried."

Yangu nodded, "It won't be a trouble at all. Atsui, see to it that she is well tended."

Once the daimyo left the room, Atsui looked at Ayumi, "Your clothes were destroyed and stained, do you have others?"

She nodded, "Yes, in a scroll. Thank you."

The man nodded and left to bring her some food. Silence filled the room before Hiroshi finally asked:

"How did you do it, Ayumi-sensei?"

She looked at her student, drawing her attention from the room's décor, "Hmm?"

He sighed, "How did you kill those men and remain unaffected?"

Ayumi sighed, realizing that Hiroshi made his first kill, before replying, "Well, as my sensei told me, it's because you get used to it. However, I don't like that, because it makes me feel like that eventually, I'll lose my humanity."

"So, how do _you_ do it?" He asked again.

"You have to find ways to justify it. To justify it, you must find things to protect," she replied, "You heard mine during the fight. Above all, I fight to protect Konoha, like any shinobi should. Second, I fight to protect the people close to me, like you, Kakashi, Iruka, etc. Finally, I fight to protect myself. It is last, because other things should take precedence over your own well-being, but it doesn't mean you should be reckless."

"And how do you get the image of that person dying out of your dreams?" He looked up at her, sadness in his once bright eyes.

She sighed and placed her hand a top his, "That, is truly something you get used to. It will go away eventually, Hiroshi."

He smiled softly at her before asking, "Did you mean what you said earlier? About his worst mistake being his threats towards me?"

Ayumi nodded, "I did, Hiroshi. I know Kakashi can handle himself in even the worst of battles, but I still feel protective of him. You, on the other hand, you still need time to learn how to fully protect yourself. So when he threatened you, someone who couldn't stand up to him… well, it would be like him taking candy from a baby. And there's another reason, Hiroshi…"

The boy blinked, "What?"

She took a deep breath, "You see. I had older brother who was an earth affinity, much like your sister to you. He was the world to me when our parents died. When he died, it was devastating…. I took you own as a student for three reasons: one, your story is so much like mine… two, you're an earth affinity, like me… and three, you look so much like him, it's scary. You're like my Otouto now."

Suddenly, Hiroshi threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly, "Ayumi-sensei. You're my Oneesan now."

The kunoichi blinked before hugging him back, "I'll always protect you, you know. No matter how strong you get and when you finally surpass me."

Hiroshi released and smiled at her before getting up as her food was brought to her. He left her alone so she could eat, dress, and write a quick report. He waited outside with Atsui and kept smiling to himself, knowing that as long as Ayumi was his sensei, he would be safe and have nothing to fear. He also knew, that he would always have a family.

Finally, after a long delay, Ayumi and Hiroshi got to leave Ishigakure. Of course, as they approached the gates, many townspeople tried to give her gifts to show their thanks for getting rid of the gang, but she politely declined. This seemed to raise her to a new level in their minds for she was showing how humble she could be.

* * *

><p>Ayumi shook her head lightly at the memory of their leaving before looking at Hiroshi as they leapt from tree to tree, increasing her pace slightly, "If you can keep up with me, we can be back in Konoha by sunset."<p>

Hiroshi smiled, "You're on, oneesan."

She smiled, "Remember, I'm sensei when we're around others in the village. And while heading home, let me explain to you how to properly complete a mission report."

Hiroshi groaned, not expecting to have to learn along the way.

* * *

><p>As Ayumi estimated, they returned to Konoha by sunset. When they walked through the gate, the guards grew worried by her appearance before she waved them away. Hiroshi, very tired from the pace they kept, asked to go home for the night and Ayumi allowed him too.<p>

She shook her head lovingly at him as he headed off to his apartment. Once he was out of sight, Ayumi headed to Tsunade's office quickly, wanting to get home and change her bandages. She thought she might even go to the hospital for a healing treatment.

However, soft voices reached her ears as she arrived outside of Tsunade's office door. She knocked and, after the voices were silenced, Ayumi was granted permission to enter.

Before her stood Kakashi and Naruto, both wearing sad expressions and a sad-looking Tsunade as well.

"Ahh, Ayumi. Welcome back," Tsunade stated before adding, "Run into some trouble?"

Ayumi entered the office and nodded, "Yes. It's in the report."

She placed the report scroll on the desk and then placed the treaty scroll beside it. Ayumi looked at her lover then Naruto before asking:

"Was the mission unsuccessful?"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes and Itachi Uchiha is dead."

"I'm sorry," Ayumi replied before adding, "but I sense that that's not why everyone is so sad."

Naruto inhaled sharply, "Tsuande-obaasan sent Jiraiya-sama on a mission… a mission that got him killed."

The lavender haired kunoichi gasped and looked at Tsunade who nodded. She looked back at Naruto, stating:

"Naruto, I'm-"

"Sorry. I know," he stated, cutting her off harshly, "That's all I've been hearing. I just… how could you do it, Tsunade-obaasan?"

The Hokage sighed, "Jiraiya wanted to go."

"That's no excuse!" Naruto shouted, "I know Jiraiya-sama wouldn't have sent you if the roles had been reversed!"

Naruto stormed out of the Hokage's office, leaving Kakashi and Ayumi in shock about his outburst.

Ayumi turned to Tsunade, "He's just upset."

The woman nodded, "I know… but I still feel responsible. His death at the hands of Pein...I feel like his blood his on my hands..."

Ayumi nodded and winced, gripping at her stomach as she did so.

Tsunade and Kakashi noticed this before the latter exclaimed, "Ayumi, you're bleeding!"

She looked down and realized she had opened the wound and had begun to lightly bleed through her vest. Kakashi quickly helped her to a nearby chair before removing her jacket and shirt. Tsunade knelt before her and removed the bandages, gasping:

"Dear Kami… a lightning burn… What happened, Ayumi?"

As Tsunade began healing her, Ayumi recounted the events that occurred when her and Hiroshi tried to leave Ishi the first time and ended her tale with them returning. She looked up at Kakashi and asked:

"I explained the reasons for killing well enough, right?"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and nodded, "Yes, you did."

She smiled back and after several moments of healing, Tsunade was finished. The Hokage asked about her other injuries and Ayumi told her they were minor scraps or bruises and that she would be just fine. The kunoichi thanked Tsunade before her and Kakashi quickly left her office to head home for the silver haired ninja understood just how badly she needed to rest and needed to be comforted for any lingering convictions she felt about the mission.


	12. An Invasion

Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the previous installment and will enjoy this one even more! I would just like to say that I have very proud of this chapter being that it is the longest one I have ever written: a little over 3,000 words! But, don't fear my readers, it is action packed! I would like to take a moment to say that this chapter does focus on a heavy shippuden event that is described in brief here as I focused on the characters I needed to and not as a whole, so if you are confused, I can point you in the direction of a website that will explain everything. Anyway, thank you to **jennku**, **yyh-ygo-fma**, and, new reviewer, **gemma** for reviewing! I love reading reviews, so please, review! Now, on with the chapter!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own<em> Naruto<em> or its characters, just those of my own design.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

Ayumi stood in the kitchen and finished drinking her glass of orange juice before placing the empty glass in the sink. She turned around and frowned as she saw Kakashi sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table while reading his book.

As she walked towards him, she grabbed his shoes by the door before tossing them into his lap. He looked up at her over the top of his book:

"Yes?"

"Get up. You're coming with me today," she stated.

He blinked at her, "Where am I going exactly?"

She smirked, "You're coming with me to train Hiroshi today. Tsunade hasn't given you a single mission in the week that Naruto has been off training with the toads in senjutsu. Because of this, you've been lying around the apartment while I've been off training Hiroshi every day. Besides, we need your help."

Kakashi sighed as he began slipping on his shoes, "What do you need me for?"

Ayumi began slipping on her own shoes as well, "I've been teaching him several earth techniques lately on top of increasing his speed and taijutsu and I want him to test these things against some lightning attacks while learning how to strategize against such a user. You're the best to do it and it'll make his _year_ if he gets to train with you."

She smiled as Kakashi walked to the door with her while asking, "He really looks up to me, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea," Ayumi chuckled.

* * *

><p>Ayumi smiled as she walked towards Hiroshi after his first round against Kakashi. Granted, it was very brief, but she knew exactly what she needed to work on with him.<p>

"H-How did I do, sensei?" he asked as she approached.

"Well. You did well. However, we need to work on more strategy with you against a lightning user," she replied.

"Yes," Kakashi added, "while the techniques you used were good, there are things you could have done in order to defeat me that you didn't do because you didn't plan accordingly."

Hiroshi nodded, "Thank you, Kakashi-sama."

Ayumi glanced at Kakashi and smirked as he just shook his head with stating, "Please, just call me Kakashi-sensei. No reason to be so formal."

The boy nodded when, suddenly, a large explosion was felt and heard from their position. The three of them turned their heads in the direction of the blast when nearby alarms began going off.

"The invasion system installed after the Orochimaru attacks," Ayumi muttered.

"They've come for Naruto," Kakashi added before looking at Ayumi, "Come on."

He quickly leapt off to begin aiding the other Konoha shinobi while Ayumi turned to Hiroshi:

"You remember protocol, right? Get with the other genin and help the citizens get to safety. Go, now!"

"Be careful, oneesan!" Hiroshi shouted to her over the growing noise before running off.

Ayumi nodded and ran off after Kakashi to join the battle.

* * *

><p>Ayumi kicked the large boulder at her target before groaning in frustration as he merely manipulated his body to send a missile that exploded the rock hurdling towards him and creating a large shield that also blocked her massive fire style attack that followed on the tail of the boulder.<p>

"Shikaku! What do we need to do?" She called over the roar of battle.

"I'm working on it! This one is known as the Asura Path! And he's proving to be quite difficult!"

Ayumi spun out of the way of another missile attack before hearing the mangled cries of other shinobi as they failed to do so, exclaiming, "Tell me about it!"

Suddenly, the Asura Path snapped his head to the left before he turned and began heading towards another battle.

"Oh no you don't!" Ayumi shouted before leaping after him.

"Ayumi, stop!" the Nara clan leader called after her.

Despite Shikaku's protests, Ayumi leapt off after him, determined to defeat him to help even Konoha's odds against their invaders. She only prayed that Konoha could defeat these Akatsuki demons before Naruto arrived so that they wouldn't get a chance to capture him and if Naruto did join the battle, she hoped he would be able to save them all.

She landed atop a building and looked down in time to see the Asura Path throw himself in front of, what she recognized to be, the Deva Path as Kakashi thrust a chidori at the latter. The Asura path crumbled away as he took the hit before Kakashi was blown back and into a building by some force the Deva path created. Ayumi leapt down into the battle and flashed through hand signs before shouting:

"Lava Release: Dragon's Breath!"

She inhaled deeply and pursed her lips before unleashing a great spray of lava at the Deva path. Her attack stopped in mid-air before the lava simply fell to the ground and cooled.

"How-" Ayumi began before she was blown back into a building much like Kakashi.

She grunted as she slammed into it before sliding to the ground. Ayumi began to slowly get up before pain erupted from her left shoulder as it was pierced by one of the Deva path's metal pipes. Ayumi attempted to knock the path's legs out from beneath him before he pierced her right calf with a pipe and as a preventative measure against jutsu, he pinned her right hand to the ground with a pipe through her palm.

She panted heavily, trying to calm herself down and ignore the pain as the man stated:

"A sacrifice for love… You think you would've learned the first time from doing something so foolish."

Another pipe emerged from inside his cloak before he lifted his arm and aimed it at her heart:

"Perhaps you will learn now."

She shut her eyes and prepared for death before quickly opening them as she felt a gust of wind on her face. She saw Kakashi attack the path from the side, knocking him back out into their original battlefield and began engaging him again.

As Kakashi fought, Ayumi reached up with her left hand and pulled the pike from her left shoulder. Gasping in pain as it slid out before quickly removing the other two like ripping a band-aid off of her skin. She stood shakily, leaning against a wall for support before a small voice reached her ears:

"Can I heal you, Ayumi-san?"

She looked to her right shoulder and saw a small blue and white slug resting there:

"Katsuyu-san. Of course."

Knowing she would be of no help in this battle unti she was healed, she watched as Kakashi ran forward with another lightning cutter attack before being blown backwards. Then, suddenly, pulled forwards as the remnants of the Asura Path created a large saw-like spear and aimed it at Kakashi. Before he could be impaled, Choji and Choza intervened and distracted the Deva path with a simultaneous attack long enough for Kakashi to dodge the spear. The three of them leapt back and devised a quick strategy before beginning their next attack.

Kakashi ran forward with a lightning blade attack before being suddenly blown back yet again. However, two sets of chains rose quickly out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the Deva path and trapped him there. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared behind the path to land a fatal blow with his chidori when the Asura path once again moved to shield the Deva path. Kakashi cursed under his breath before his eye widened as the Deva path released a technique equivalent to a bomb that blew them all backwards and freed himself.

The force of the attack blew Kakashi through a building, causing it to crumble on top of him and leaving him trapped from the shoulders down. Choza landed on some exposed pipes, mortally injuring him while Choji collided with a large boulder, rendering him temporarily unconscious; Ayumi was thrust back slightly into the building she had been previously thrown into again. Ayumi, still weak from her wounds could only watch as the Deva path picked up a nail and deftly launched it at Kakashi.

She cried out as Kakashi's head flew back before falling forward limply and his breathing stopped.

_'It can't be…'_

When the Deva Path departed, Ayumi approached Kakashi as fast as she could while shouting, "Kakashi! Kakashi, you better wake up!"

Choji groaned nearby and sat up, looking at Kakashi and gasping, believing him to be dead as much as Ayumi did. Finally, the masked man lifted his head up and looked at the both of them.

"Kakashi, you're alive!" Ayumi exclaimed, "How? Oh, who cares! Let's get you out of there."

"No!" He shouted back, panting heavily.

Choji's wail of sadness reached her ears as she realized he saw his father mere feet from him, dead.

"But-" She began.

"Ayumi! Choji! Don't let Choza's death be for naught! Get the information you have about those two paths to Tsunade now!" Kakashi interrupted.

"But Kakashi-" Ayumi began again.

"NOW!" Kakashi cried.

The two quickly obliged before turning and heading towards Tsunade's location with the help of Katsuyu. As they both moved as fast as they could, Ayumi heard something shifting behind them and looked back to see the Asura path launch a missile at them.

Kakashi's eye widened, _'I have to save them! But, if I use my kamui again on that missile, like I did on that nail…It will… I have to do it, for Ayumi."_

"Choji! Watch ou-" Ayumi began to cry before gasping as the missile disappeared.

She stopped in her tracks, gasping as she did so:

"Oh Kami…" _'My dream…' _

She turned and began to run towards Kakashi, despite lingering pain she felt from her wounds shooting through her body as she felt the last of his chakra fade.

"Kakashi! No!" She screamed out as she moved towards him, feeling time slow down severely as she ran towards her beloved.

He smiled at her softly and whispered, "You…saved me…. now I…saved…you…"

Her eyes widened as his head tilted back and he died before her eyes.

"NO!" She shrieked while reaching for him, "No!"

Her worst fears were realized as she skidding to a halt and dropped to her knees. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she wept silently.

'_That dream…. That dream was real… it was this…and I did nothing…'_

* * *

><p>Ayumi stared at the ground as Choji sat next to her. He had returned a few minutes ago after delivering the information to Tsunade and he had given up on trying to comfort Ayumi.<p>

"I know… I know the pain Kurenai felt now…" She whispered softly as she looked at Choji, "And I am so sorry for your father."

The young man nodded, remaining silent as he stared at his father's body that he had moved off of the pipes and laid next to Kakashi's body that they had unburied from the rubble. Suddenly, the felt the ground rumble and Katsuyu created chakra shields from Tsunade's chakra around them and their loved one's bodies as debris and dirt flew past them. When the dust settled, they both moved to the tallest object nearby and saw that nearly half of Konoha had been laid waste to, but both were relieved to see that Naruto had returned to help them all.

* * *

><p>Kakashi, after being briefly reunited with Minato, Rin, and Obito, found himself walking down a long, black hallway towards small flickering light at the end. Upon reaching it, he realized it was a campfire with a figure sitting next to it.<p>

"Hello, son," the shadowy figure stated.

Kakashi sighed and sat next to the figure, "Hello, father."

Sakumo smiled as he looked at his son, "You've grown up well."

The younger man smiled a bit, "Thank you."

"Would you like to tell me about yourself?" Sakumo asked as he poked the fire with a small stick.

The masked man smiled, "Of course I would."

For an undefined amount of time, Kakashi began telling Sakumo all of the things he couldn't get to tell him over the years. However, he did leave out telling him about Ayumi, surprised he was nervous about tell his father about her. Kakashi was surprised though, when Sakumo asked:

"And this girl you're seeing, Ayumi… what about her?"

Kakashi blushed lightly beneath his mask before smiling, "She's all I could ever ask for, dad. So much like mom, yet so strong. She completes me. She's helping me heal."

The man paused before looking at his father, "And, thanks to her and a friend from long ago, I've realized something. I forgive you. Friends are more important than a mission. The village was wrong for what they did to you, because I see now that you're a hero. I forgive you. I'm proud you were my father."

Sakumo smiled at his son before hugging him briefly then releasing him, "We both died too young. Thank you, Kakashi. I-"

A bright white light shone down on Kakashi, interrupting their conversation and Sakumo chuckled:

"It seems you're still not done there after all. Live your life like you're truly supposed to Kakashi and thank you. I can finally be with your mother."

The sharigan user smiled at his dad before disappearing inside the white light.

* * *

><p>Ayumi wasn't sure how much time had passed since Kakashi died. She did know that Naruto and Pein's battle was over since the sounds of that fight had ceased long ago and that many shinobi had begun making their way to medical tents. She and Choji still sat side-by-side, not wanting to move and truly acknowledge the sight before them: two beloved shinobi lying side-by-side, dead.<p>

Suddenly, Choza began coughing and even sat up slightly. Choji, severely amazed by this, ran over to his father and began crying tears of joy that he was alive. Ayumi stared at this sight in shock before she heard someone ask:

"Does anyone want to explain what just happened?"

The kunoichi turned her head and gasped as she saw Kakashi, alive and well, staring at her.

"Kakashi! She exclaimed before jumping up and hugging him very tightly.

Kakashi smiled as Ayumi hugged him tightly and he hugged her back as he saw small tears flowing from her eyes.

"Thank Kami. Thank Kami, you're alive," she whispered.

Kakashi smiled, "I told you I would never leave you."

She looked up at him, "I thought you did."

"Now, can someone explain to me what happened?" Kakashi asked.

"Allow me," Katsuyu chimed in before beginning to tell Naruto's tale from the battle to the meeting with the true controller of the paths, Nagato, who had revived all of the fallen shinobi.

Once she finished, Gai arrived, "Kakashi, Ayumi. Finally," he stated.

Ayumi looked at the spandex clad ninja and asked, "What do you need?"

He nodded to Kakashi, "The elders want Kakashi to go and retrieve Naruto. He did it. He defeated Pein."

The sharingan user nodded, "I can do that," he turned and looked at Ayumi, "Care to join me?"

She smiled, "I'd like that very much."

* * *

><p>After they cleaned themselves up a bit and finally pinpointed Naruto's location. They headed out to find him. They arrived in the middle of a forest cleaning with Naruto praying before a makeshift memorial to Jiraiya. Ayumi and Kakashi held back and remained silent as Naruto finished his prayer. When the young hero turned, he saw Ayumi and Kakashi smiling at him.<p>

"Kakashi-sensei. Ayumi-sensei," Naruto stated before hugging them weakly.

They smiled and briefly hugged him return before Kakashi looked at Naruto and stated:

"C'mon. We're supposed to take you back to the village."

The three of them started to leap back before Naruto, in his weakened state, started to fall from the trees. Ayumi sighed and moved to help Naruto before Kakashi quickly caught him and carried him on his back.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as the three of them walked towards the remains of Konoha.

"Hmm?" The man replied.

"Is everyone okay?" Naruto questioned.

Ayumi nodded, "Yes, everyone is fine."

He smiled before blinking at the cheers he heard when they stepped in out of the woods and in the line of sight of the village.

"Way to go Naruto!"

"Welcome home!"

"You're our hero!"

"I can't believe you did it!"

Kakashi let Naruto down and the young man stood between his sensei and Ayumi, staring in awe at the crowd cheering his name.

"Naruto," Kakashi began, "You did it."

The boy looked at Kakashi, "Did what?"

He laughed softly, "Your dream of being loved and accepted by everyone. You did it."

Naruto smiled brightly before running to meet his friends. Ayumi leaned against Kakashi, who quickly wrapped an arm around her, as they watched Naruto being celebrated for his actions.


	13. A Nomination

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter and will enjoy the new installment! Thank you to **jennku**, **yyh-ygo-fma**, **ren-hatake, **and **A****niwolfgirl** for reviewing! Keep the reviews coming everyone; they make me so happy!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto<em> or its characters, just those of my own design.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

With Tsunade in a coma from her actions of healing the wounded shinobi during the invasion of Pein, Danzo, leader of ANBU Root and a Konoha Elder, was nominated for the position of Sixth Hokage. The following morning, while many went about rebuilding the village, members of said ANBU division left to escort Danzo to the Kage Summit: a meeting of the Kages of each village to decide what to do with the Akatsuki since Pain's attempt to capture Naruto and Sasuke's attempt to capture Killer B of Kumogakure since the last Uchiha member was now a member of the Akatsuki.

Ayumi saw Kakashi off that morning after Naruto convinced him and Yamato to take him to the Land of Iron, where the Kage Summit was being held, in order to convince the Raikage to not kill Sasuke for his crimes. Finally, she was reunited with Hiroshi after the events of the invasion and when she greeted him, she patted his head gently for being in public restricted her from fully hugging him, and she asked:

"Are you okay?"

He laughed, "Of course! I did just found out what you did yesterday! You?"

She rubbed her shoulder slightly, "Aside from some lingering wound pain, just fine. Now, c'mon. We have a lot of work to do in rebuilding Konoha with the others. Let's get to work."

* * *

><p>Over the course of several days, Ayumi and Hiroshi succeeded in three things: one, arguing every fifteen or so minutes on how to go about doing their current task; two, rebuilding several buildings and homes; and finally, three, training together. There was a rare moment when Ayumi didn't find some way to test Hiroshi, whether it was using chakra control to walk up the side of a building carrying shingles to put on a new roof or using earth jutsu to demolish buildings that couldn't be saved.<p>

* * *

><p>One day, around noon, while they were taking a break for lunch, Ayumi spied a team arriving back at the only standing village entrance. Sensing that it was Kakashi, she stood up and excused herself before beginning to leap across the village.<p>

Kakashi smiled as he could tell that Ayumi was approaching. He found that his line of sight was uninhibited without buildings in the way and when she landed before him, he hugged her tightly.

"Well, how did it go?" She asked when she pulled back.

The masked man shot a glance at Naruto before looking at her, "Sasuke made an appearance…and attacked the Kages…. He also attacked Danzo… and succeeded in killing him."

Ayumi's eyes widened in disbelief before glancing to Kakashi's left as she noticed movement and saw a body bag being carried into the village. She looked back at Kakashi:

"He's gone too far…"

Kakashi nodded as the team dispersed, "Sakura joined us, along with Sai, after her and the Konoha 11 decided what need to be done about Sasuke. She tried to defeat Sasuke and kill him… I had intervene; I knew she wouldn't stand a chance… I tried to end it, Ayumi…. I tried to kill him… but I know how Sarutobi-sama felt against Orochimaru… no matter what, he's still my student. If Naruto hadn't intervened later on when Sakura tried to rejoin the battle, it would've been worse."

She hugged her lover tightly, "It's okay, Kakashi. You tried, that's what's important."

He hugged her back weakly before nuzzling into her neck as he sighed. However, their tender moment was interrupted when an ANBU member landed next to them.

"Kakashi Hatake, Ayumi Osoi. Excuse my interruption," the fully masked man stated.

They separated, both wearing a slight blush before Kakashi replied, "What do you need?"

"Koharu-san and Homura-san of the Council request your presence," the man stated before adding, "I am to escort you."

Kakashi nodded before looking at Ayumi, "We'll continue this later."

Ayumu blushed lightly, though she wasn't quite sure if he meant that in a sexual way or not before heading to rejoin Hiroshi.

* * *

><p>"Hokage? ... You and the council want me to be the Hokage?" Kakashi asked again in disbelief.<p>

Homura nodded, "Yes, Kakashi-san. Your lineage of teachings is very acceptable and your parentage does hold bearing with many members of the council."

Kakashi looked at Homura before looking at Koharu then gazing at the ceiling and sighing, "I'm not cut out for this job."

"Please, Kakashi-san," Koharu beseeched, "There is no one else better suited."

The masked man sighed before looking at them, "I'll do it if I must."

The two elderly council members sighed in relief before standing, "Excellent. Now, if you wouldn't mind being accompanying us to the Fire Daimyo meeting. We can make it official there."

The three of them stood and began exited the remains of their office before heading towards the meeting in silence.

_ 'Please Kami…I don't ask for much… but I could use a miracle right now.'_ Kakashi thought to himself.

* * *

><p>After finishing their project for that day, Hiroshi and Ayumi strolled leisurely through town. As they walked, they admired the determination of Konoha's citizens to rebuild the village as fast they could before Hiroshi stopped and looked at Ayumi.<p>

"Sensei?" He asked, "Can we go visit Lady Tsunade?"

The woman blinked at her student, "She's in a coma, Hiroshi. Are you sure?"

The boy nodded, "I want to see how she's doing."

Ayumi smiled at him and began leading him towards the Hokage's home, one of the few still standing buildings left.

* * *

><p>Upon arrival, the ANBU guards asked their business, but, fortunately, Shizune was just returning to her post and granted them permission to see Lady Tsunade. They walked silently through the halls before entering a dimly light room where Tsunade was being kept.<p>

"How is she?" Ayumi asked softly.

The dark haired woman shrugged, "The same. Well, slightly better, her Genesis of Rebirth technique has finally kicked back in on herself."

The lavender haired kunoichi nodded and after a few moments of silence, stated, "Rumor is that Kakashi is going to be named the sixth Hokage, or so the citizens are speculating. He was seen heading to the Daimyo meeting and I was there when he was called into a meeting with Koharu and Homura."

Shizune looked at her, "Does that worry you?"

Ayumi nodded, "Of course. The Hokage is expected to do so much, I mean, look at Tsunade."

"What about me?" A very faint voice whispered and both of them snapped their heads in her direction as Hiroshi exclaimed:

"She's awake!"

Shizune fell to her knees and hugged Lady Tsunade tightly while Ayumi stared on in shock before realizing:

_'If I can get to the daimyo meeting in time… Kakashi won't be named the Hokage!'_

She bowed to Tsunade and expressed her happiness that she was awake before leaving Hiroshi behind as she quickly exited the large home and leapt off towards the meeting.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sighed, growing increasingly bored with the debating and questioning of the council.<p>

_'Koharu and Homura said that this was already decided…'_

Finally, the Fire Daimyo looked at Kakashi and stated, "Kakashi-san. We're ready to begin."

He nodded and stood before the council as the Daimyo asked, "Will you promise to govern the people of Konohagakure in regards to respective laws and customs of the shinobi way? Will you, to the best of your ability, protect Konohagakure and the Land of Fire with your life? Will you uphold the laws and commands given to you by your council to the upmost; and, do you swear to bring honor to the title of Hokage?"

Kakashi closed his eye before taking a deep breath and replying, "I do and swear to all that you ask."

The council gave a hum of approval before the Fire Daimyo stated, "Then, by my authority as Fire Daimyo, I declare you, Kakashi Hatake to be-"

Suddenly, the double doors to the room flew open and Ayumi stared at the council panting heavily before shouting:

"Tsunade's awake!"

The council and Kakashi stared at the panting woman in shocked silence before her lover quickly moved to her and hugged her very tightly against him while whispering:

"Thank Kami! But you could've gotten here sooner!"

She laughed at her lover's actions before hugging him back.

* * *

><p>That night, after Kakashi ate a dinner prepared by Ayumi and shared with Hiroshi, he knocked on the door of Tsunade's house. He smiled as Shizune answered before the woman led him back to the Hokage's room. When they entered, Tsunade smirked at him:<p>

"So, are you my replacement now?"

Kakashi laughed, "No. I'm fortunate to have a fast runner for a lover."

Tsunade chuckled as well before looking at him, "So, why've you come then?"

He sighed, "I wanted to thank you as well, for waking up in time. As I said before, I'm not cut out for the job of Hokage."

"You're welcome," Tsunade replied, "but it's not that hard."

The man shook his head, "That's because you make it look so easy."

They both shared a laugh before Kakashi excused himself to return home to so much needed alone time with Ayumi.

* * *

><p><em>"Ayumi! As commander of this unit, I order you to fall back with the others!" Kakashi shouted over the sounds of war and death.<em>

_ The woman turned from the oncoming attacks to look her lover in the eyes, "No, Kakashi. There's something I can do…"_

_ "What are you talking-" Realization dawned on him as an wall fifty feet high appeared between them and pushed him and many stragglers in his unit over one hundred feet away from her. _

_ Kakashi's eyes widened as he tried to quickly scale the wall before being blown back by the sheer force of an attack on the other side. He looked up after members of his division caught him before they were blown back as well and squinted as near blinding white light shone over the wall. The wall crumbled as the attack ended and Kakashi stood and ran towards a large crater in the center of the blast._

_ All around him, where the white Zetsus had tried to overrun her, they were encased in crumbling remains of dried Lava and as dead as could be. _

_ Finally, he reached the top of the crater before sliding down to the bottom where the curled up form of Ayumi lied. He cradled her in his arms and stared wide-eyed as she slowly opened hers._

_ "Is…. the division…. safe?" She asked very weakly, if it hadn't been for his increased hearing abilities he wouldn't have heard her._

_ He smiled weakly at his lover, trying to fight back tears, "Yes…the division is safe… You cleared us to go to battle in other places…"_

_ "Good…" she coughed heavily, paling even more if she could and when her eyes opened again, they were a sickening gray-green and utterly lifeless._

_ "Ayumi…P-Please," he faltered as a tear slipped out of his eyes, "We promised…w-we wouldn't leave each other…"_

_ She faintly smiled at him, "And… I won't…"_

_ "But… how Ayumi?"_

_ Suddenly, Gai landed next to him and Kakashi dried his eyes as the man said, "Kakashi. Nauto and B are engaging the masked Madara in battle. The strategy team wants to send us as reinforcements."_

_ Kakashi looked sadly up at Gai before quickly look back down as the sound of hacking coughs reached his ears and he saw Ayumi coughing up a fair amount of blood. He was going to refuse orders before Sakura, the medic of their division, arrived._

_ He caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead before looking down at her, "I have to go, Ayumi, but, hold on, for I will come back. I love you so much"_

_ She didn't look at him for her eyes were closed and, despite wanting to think otherwise, he couldn't help but realize her body was growing cold. He left her in the care of Sakura and left with Gai._

_ "We give this man hell, Gai… not just for Naruto or B or the shinobi world… but just for Ayumi…"_

* * *

><p>Kakashi's non-sharingan eye flew open, his body covered in a light amount of sweat and he touched his cheek beneath his eye, realizing he had been crying here too. He turned his head to his left and saw Ayumi curled up in the bed next to him facing away from him. He reached over and gently touched her bare back which caused her to turn over and face him while remaining asleep.<p>

Carefully, he moved a bit closer to her before wrapping arms around her and pulling her naked form against his. He felt her sigh against him and he stared down at the top of her head, thinking:

_'Ayumi told me later she had a nightmare about the Invasion of Pein… and now, I'm having a nightmare about the impending war? Could it really… be that I will lose her again...and for good?'_

Kakashi shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind, _'No, I'm just scared for us during this time…we'll be fine.'_

However, as he drifted to sleep, Kakashi couldn't but feel a lingering twinge of fear.


	14. A War

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the latest installment as much as you enjoyed the previous chapter! Thank you **yyh-ygo-fma**, **Aniwolfgirl**, and **jennku** for reviewing! I always enjoy reading reviews, so please review! Now, on with the chapter!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto<em> or its characters, just those of my own design.

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><p><strong> Chapter 14<strong>

Ayumi and Kakashi walked solemnly towards the village gate to meet up with the other jonin and chunin to head to, what soon will be, the war front. That morning, they hand left their Konoha headbands sitting on their nightstand and replaced them with the headband of the Allied Shinobi forces, bearing the kanji for "shinobi".

Although Ayumi feared the outcome of this war for she, like many others had been involved in at least one war before, she, however, couldn't help not denying how exciting it was to have all the villages working together for the common good.

Kakashi turned his head and looked at his lover as they walked towards the army meeting, "I pulled some strings and got you a position in my division."

She blinked and looked at Kakashi, "But the Third Division, your division, is for mid- to close- range fighters."

He laughed, "Yes, I know. However, I revealed the information about your newly found lava release and the techniques you know during the war meeting. It seems that now makes you a mid-range fighter."

"This isn't because you want to keep an eye on me as well, is it?" She smirked.

Kakashi chuckled softly, "That could be an ulterior motive."

She smiled at him and began to retort before hearing, "Ayumi-sensei!"

When she spun around, she saw Hiroshi running towards her. She sighed and asked:

"What are you doing here, Hiroshi?"

He blushed sheepishly when he approached her before holding out a necklace with a kanji symbol on it, "I-It's for luck."

She smiled and confirmed that the kanji did, indeed, read luck before slipping it on her neck then tucking it beneath her vest, "You're the first man to give me jewelry, Hiroshi."

Kakashi blushed heavily and looked away as Ayumi glanced at him.

Hiroshi smiled a bit, "I know you don't need luck, but a little wouldn't hurt."

She smiled before kneeling and hugging her student tightly, "Don't worry, I will return and we'll continue training. I still have so much to teach you. Now," she released him, "be a good student and listen to your sensei. Head to the safe grounds with the other genin and citizens."

Hiroshi nodded, sniffling slightly and holding back tears before he threw his arms around Ayumi, "I love you, Oneesan."

Ayumi's eyes widened before she hugged him back, "I love you too, Otouto."

The boy then released her and told her he'd see her soon and wished Kakashi luck as well before running off. Ayumi stood and resumed walking with Kakashi towards the gate.

"And you never wanted a student…" Kakashi stated.

Ayumi chuckled a bit and wiped her eyes as a precautionary move, "Yeah, I know."

* * *

><p>Ayumi leapt along side Kakashi as he led the Third Division towards their position in the Land of Hot Water. The blood in her veins was still racing with excitement from the rousing words delivered by A, the Fourth Raikage and Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces, and by Gaara, the Regimental Commander of the various Divisions and Fourth Division commander. She could tell that many shinobi were nervous, for many had never before known the horrors of war, but hope stirred inside her for it seemed impossible that the force of eighty thousand shinobi could fall to this masked man.<p>

The lavender haired kunoichi looked at Kakashi and questioned, "You seem troubled…are you okay?"

Kakashi sighed; he had neglected to tell her of his dream, but decided that since the events of it could happen at any time now, he would tell her.

"Ayumi, last night-"

"Kakashi-sama! A flare!" A male voice from the division shouted.

The masked leader scanned the sky quickly for what the shinobi was referring to before seeing a bright red flare in the sky.

"That's from the Surprise Attack Division! They need our aid, let's move!" Kakashi shouted before the whole of the division leapt off towards certain battle.

* * *

><p>The Third Division arrived just in time to save the Surprise Attack Division members and a painful sight met Kakashi's eyes: standing before him were Zabuza and Haku, newly revived like so many others.<p>

"Hello, Kakashi-san," Haku stated, "How is Naruto?"

"He's a very admirable shinobi now. Thanks to that first battle with you two," Kakashi replied feeling very sad and angry.

"Kakashi, we were ripped from the afterlife by a cruel force…please, kill us," Zabuza pleaded before suddenly, his eyes went completely lifeless as he charged towards Kakashi.

_'Edo Tensei… Joy,' _Kakashi thought as he moved to meet Zabuza in battle while calling out the Division:

"Be warned! He likes to use the Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Ayumi registered the sound of Kakashi's voice, but couldn't make out the words as she and three others worked on dispatching the white Zetsu clones that were mixed in with the force of revived shinobi. However, suddenly, six more revived shinobi arrived and the mist ninja Ayumi was fighting with said in awe:

"The previous Seven Swordsman of the Mist…"

She looked at him as Mist began filling the area and cried, "Now's not the time to turn into a fanboy! Stay focused!"

Kakashi recognized the arrival of the other swordsman at the same time as Ayumi did. Kakashi turned to Ensui Nara, Santa Yamanaka, and Maki and began explaining his plan to seal Zabuza to get rid of the Mist on the battlefield. The three of them agreed and began implementing the plan.

Santa Yamanaka traded minds with Kakashi to allow him to get as close to Zabuza as he could and as fast as he could, since Santa could push his body better than he could, while Ensui Nara trapped Zabuza with his Shadow Techniques. Maki distracted Haku while Kakashi regained control of his body and created a lightning cutter to weaken Zabuza so he could be sealed. However, Haku intervened and took the, normally, deadly blow.

Kakashi stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, _'Just like those years ago… He still retained the desire to protect Zabuza despite this technique… That's what it truly means to have a shinobi way… that you can still follow it, no matter what. I'm glad you two were Naruto's first opponents.'_

Suddenly, however, Zabuza did something a bit different from the battle on the bridge so many years ago, he slashed through Haku in an attempt to kill Kakashi. The masked man was swiftly cut in half, but it was merely a shadow clone for he appeared behind Zabuza and stabbed him with a lightning blade then. Before either of them could recover, Maki sealed them away.

Kakashi could now fully observe the battlefield and shouted:

"Fall back to the forest!"

The third division quickly complied and Kakashi moved to follow them but not before taking Zabuza's sword with him; and so, for Kakashi's division, day one of battle was over.

* * *

><p>Their brief break was quickly interrupted as a scout reported that the remaining Swordsmen were moving towards their position rapidly. This marked the beginning of day two as Kakashi stood, looking in their approaching attackers direction, with Gai and Ayumi on either side of him.<p>

Once the Swordsmen came into view, Gai turned to his rival and asked, "Kakashi, what should we do?"

The masked man tightened his grip on Zabuza's sword, "Keep everyone back…The Copy Ninja is going on an rampage."

He suddenly leapt into battle, beginning to slice the mist ninja in various places at an amazing speed while moving at a speed that Ayumi had never seen before.

"Kakashi is very pissed, yes?" Gai seemed to ask, but was merely stating.

Ayumi sighed, "How you would feel if you had to face fallen opponents that you ended up respecting again?"

Gai nodded solemnly as they stood in front of the division and watched Kakashi take out the Swordsmen single-handedly. Maki and Sai moved forward as Kakashi finished and began sealing away the Swordsmen as a preventative measure although they appeared to not be getting up again. Ayumi smiled and began to leap towards Kakashi before suddenly, a scout from their division shouted:

"Kakashi-sama! There's a massive portion of the Army of White Zetsu clones approaching!"

Kakashi frowned and looked at everyone before shouting, "Don't let them get past us! Fight as hard as you can!"

The Division gave a resounding cry of support before readying itself for battle.

When the Zetsu clones hit, however, it was a near slaughter. The large number of physical clones began overwhelming the arm, even after a Sage-mode Naruto shadow-clone with Kyuubi chakra arrived, the Division was still having trouble holding off the clones.

Kakashi, realizing they need to fall back to a better position than the now decimated forest clearing they were in, shouted:

"Fall back! Fall back now!"

Many shinobi who were free of battle began to comply. Kakashi turned to leave as well before he saw Ayumi continuing to fight.

_'The Division needs to be cleared…those that could be saved are dying because no one can pause for a second to heal them…even if we fall back it would do no good…' _She thought to herself.

"Ayumi! As commander of this unit, I order you to fall back with the others!" Kakashi shouted over the sounds of war and death.

The woman turned from the oncoming attacks to look her lover in the eyes, "No, Kakashi. There's something I can do…"

"What are you talking-" Realization dawn on him as an wall fifty feet high appeared between them and pushed him and many stragglers in his unit over one hundred feet away from her.

Kakashi's eyes widened as he tried to quickly scale the wall, _'I have to get to her, she'll be over run.'_

He paused halfway up the wall, _'Oh Kami…my dream..'_

He doubled his speed and nearly reached the top before being blown back by the sheer force of an attack slamming into the other side of the wall. He looked up after members of his division caught him before they were blown back as well and they all squinted as near blinding white light shone over the top. The wall crumbled as the attack ended and Kakashi stood and ran towards a large crater in the center of the blast.

All around him, where the white Zetsus had tried to overrun her, they were encased in crumbling remains of dried Lava and dead as could be.

Finally, he reached the top of the crater before sliding down to the bottom where the curled up form of Ayumi lied. He cradled her in his arms and stared wide-eyed as she slowly opened hers.

"Is…. the division…. safe?" She asked very weakly, if it hadn't been for his increased hearing abilities he wouldn't have heard her.

He smiled weakly at his lover, trying to fight back tears, "Yes…the division is safe… You cleared us to go to battle in other places…"

"Good…" she coughed heavily, paling even more if she could and when her eyes opened again, they were a sickening gray-green and utterly lifeless.

"Ayumi…P-Please," he faltered as a tear slipped out of his eyes, "We promised…w-we wouldn't leave each other…"

She faintly smiled at him, "And… I won't…"

"But… how Ayumi?"

Suddenly, Gai landed next to him before Ayumi could try to explain and Kakashi dried his eyes as the man said, "Kakashi. Nauto and B are engaging the masked Madara in battle. The strategy team wants to send us as reinforcements."

Kakashi looked sadly up at Gai, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he knew for once that he could have changed this, before quickly look back down as the sound of hacking coughs reached his ears and he saw Ayumi coughing up a fair amount of blood. He was going to refuse orders before Sakura arrived, the medic in their division, to take her for healing.

He caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead before looking down at her and whispering, "I have to go, Ayumi, but, hold on, for I will come back. I love you so much."

She didn't look at him for her eyes were closed and, despite wanting to think otherwise, he couldn't help but realize her body was growing cold. He left her in the care of the Sakura and left with Gai.

"Kakashi, I'm so-" Gai began before being interrupted.

"She's not dead, Gai," Kakashi stated harshly.

"And if she is? What then?" He asked.

Kakashi thought for a moment before replying, "We give this man hell, Gai… not just for Naruto or B or the shinobi world… but just for Ayumi…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I uploaded this this morning, I swear. However, for some reason, it didn't go through even though I could see that it did on my end. I am so sorry!


	15. A Celebration

Hello everyone! Again, I am so sorry about the delay with Chapter 14; the website must've been having issues that day. Anyway, thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma** and **Jennku** for reviewing! They always make me happy; so, keep them coming! On another note, I hate writing things that are set in shippuden because it is an ark that is unfinished. That being said, I wrote this story on the belief that I knew where Kishi was going...I don't. I have no clue... I thought I did, but what he is doing with the manga is insane. So, the final chapters of this story are the things that I believe will happen regardless of the current events because of what has been built up over the course of the entire saga. So, this is my interpretation of the ending of the war and the aftermath; if things change, well, I was wrong. The plot devices I have used are best resolved by the way I resolve things, so I apologize to future readers if the events of the end are incorrect. Now that my rant is over, on with the chapter!  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto <em>or its characters, just those of my own creation.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

After days of fighting the revived jinchuuriki and Tobi with Gai, Naruto, and the Konoha 11, Kakashi sighed as he was helped to the medic division tents by two chunin from Suna and then taken into the main tent being run by Shizune. After he approached the tent with help, he dismissed the chunins helping him before stepping inside.

Shizune turned when she heard the cloth by the tent swish open before swishing shut again. She turned and smiled when she recognized the familiar face before helping him to a chair and beginning to heal his injuries.

"I take it things went well?" She asked.

He nodded and replied, "Yes. Can't you hear the celebrating outside?"

Shizune sighed, "Thank Kami, all this is over."

Kakashi nodded before looking at her and when Shizune wouldn't meet his eyes, he gripped her wrist, "Ayumi… she's dead, isn't she?"

Shizune quickly looked up at the masked man and gave an exasperated laugh, "No, Kakashi-san. She's alive."

His good eye widened and he tried to get up, "Where is she? I have to see it for myself."

The woman shook her head and made him sit back down, "Just wait. Let me take care of your wounds first."

Kakashi sighed and sat back in the chair before looking at the dark haired woman, "How is she alive?"

"That is quite complicated to answer," the medic kunoichi replied.

"I want to know, Shizune…" Kakashi stated.

The woman sighed, "You see, after she left the day she had read her great-grandfather's files, Tsunade reviewed them. She had a suspicion that Ayumi reviewed her ancestor's 'Supernova' technique quite heavily and discovered something interesting about it."

"What?" Kakashi asked.

Shizune finished the last of Kakashi's healing before replying, "You see, under normal circumstances, it does have a ninety percent mortality rate," she stood and began walking towards a blocked off section of the tent, Kakashi followed as she continued, "However, if a dragon hand seal is added to the end of sequence in combination with the previous use of a specific Lava Release technique to encase the opponents, then the technique will first draw on the chakra and life force of the attackers before drawing on the life force and chakra of the user, increasing the survivability of the user. When used on a large enough force, the user could continue to fight if needed; otherwise the technique will take its normal course. In Ayumi's case, the mortality rate was reduced to about seventy-five percent if I calculated correctly. Based on Sakura's description of her, you saw her at her worst for her color was slowly beginning to return by the time she arrived here."

Kakashi smirked, "Leave it to her to try to find a way to use this jutsu and live."

Shizune laughed and paused before a curtain, "Yes. Tenacious, isn't she?"

The man nodded as the medic pulled the curtain back. His breath hitched before smiling as he saw Ayumi, her color and life completely returned to her, sleeping peacefully on a cot. Shizune entered first and removed the empty IV from her before leaving Kakashi alone in the section of the tent.

For a few moments, Kakashi just watched her sleep, not wanting to disturb her before he reached forward and took her hand gently in both of his.

"I thought I was going to lose you again," he whispered.

"And I told you, you weren't," Ayumi softly replied while squeezing his hand back in return before opening her eyes; the bright green color being completely restored to them.

He smiled before moving to sit beside her then drawing her into a gentle hug while murmuring, "That was very dangerous…"

She laughed and hugged him back, enjoying the feeling of his arms around her, "I know, but I knew I would live. I'm a tough girl."

Kakashi chuckled as he ran his fingers through her hair while retorting, "Yes, you are, but that doesn't mean you can do risky things."

"Touché," Ayumi replied before leaning up and kissing him softly through the mask before pulling back, "Can you help me outside? I heard the cheering begin several minutes ago and wanted to get up but I fell back to sleep."

Kakashi laughed, "Of course I can."

She smiled and slowly got up and got dressed with her lover's help before leaning against Kakashi as they walked through the tent. Ayumi nodded to Shizune and mouthed a "thank you" before the two exited the medical division.

* * *

><p>The bright light of the sun blinded her for a moment and she blinked rapidly before looking around, smiling as she saw Naruto and the others, to a lesser extent, being hailed by all of the shinobi.<p>

"Kakashi," Ayumi said softly and he looked down at her as she continued, "He has gained more than he ever wanted, hasn't he? He wanted to be loved and respected by all the village, and now he's loved by all the shinobi world."

The man chuckled, "Yes, yes he has. However, he's still not the Hokage."

Ayumi laughed as well, "Very true. I want to go down there, please?"

Kakashi nodded, "Anything you want. This is a time to celebrate after all."

She smiled as they made their way down to the celebration below.

* * *

><p>Naruto smiled as he recounted the tales of the battle to those listening; basking in the glory that he was receiving. However, he knew most of all that his father and mother would be proud of him and that thought warmed his heart more than the love of the Allied Shinobi forces.<p>

As he finished his story, he noticed Kakashi and Ayumi arriving and he made his way over to them once he finished his tale.

"Kakashi-sensei! Ayumi-san!" Naruto exclaimed as he approached.

Ayumi hugged Naruto quickly before releasing him, "You did good, Naruto. Better than good, great!"

The young man smiled sheepishly while rubbing his neck, "Well, I did what I had to!"

Kakashi smiled, "You did more than you had to, Naruto. The tides of war might've turned against us without you."

Naruto smiled, "It wasn't all just me, without you and Bushy-Brow-sensei, and B-san, and the others, I don't think I could've defeated that Tobi/Madara guy!"

"I see you learned humility, Naruto," Ayumi stated while chuckling softly.

"Learned what? Anyway, what about what you did, Ayumi-san? That big blast thing? That was amazing!" Naruto exclaimed.

Ayumi blushed and chuckled, "You heard about that? Well, while it might've been amazing, it was nearly deadly. That's the last time I'll ever do that."

Kakashi smiled down at her, "Good."

"Still though, it was cool! And the courage to do that, wow!" Naruto exclaimed.

Ayumi shook her head, "It wasn't courage; it was the drive to protect. I didn't know if I could protect everyone... but," she looked at Kakashi, "I knew I could protect one. That made it easier to do... it made my task seem possible... instead of impossible."

Kakashi smiled as Naruto was called over to another group of ninja. He bid them a quick farewell before running over to join them. Kakashi and Ayumi watched him as he went while the latter reached up and touched the cool metallic necklace around her neck.

_'I did need your luck after all, Hiroshi,'_ Ayumi thought to herself before there was a sudden explosion in the middle of the Allied meeting grounds.

As flames licked at the surrounding tents and supplies, a figure emerged from them and the intensity of the fire was only matched by the intensity of the figure's blood red eyes.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi stated.

Two shinobi from Kumogakure ran forward and tried to attack Sasuke as revenge for the Uchiha's attacks on B and the Raikage, but they were quickly dispatched.

"Sasuke!" An angry voice shouted over the roar of the fire.

Naruto, the one who delivered the cry, landed several yards in front of Sasuke as the flames behind him were doused by Kiri shinobi. The two men fated to fight from the day they met glared at each other for several moments before Sasuke stated:

"Move aside, Idiot. My battle is with Konoha and its elders, not you."

Naruto shook his head, "I can't let you pass, Sasuke. I told you once to focus your hatred for Konoha all on me… Do it now."

The raven-haired boy snarled, "Then, you shall die along with them!"

He drew his sword and dashed towards Naruto before the blonde blocked the attack calmly by gripping Sasuke's wrist, stating:

"Not here, Sasuke. No need in endangering the lives of innocents."

Naruto tightened the grip on Sasuke's wrist and spun him around before tossing him high into the air. He leapt up after him and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying away from the Allied Forces grounds.

Chaos broke out amongst the army before being silenced by A, the Raikage, standing with the other Kages above the army.

"Allied Shinobi Forces! You shall not intervene in Naruto and the Uchiha's battle! Anyone caught breaking orders will be punished! The Kage's will have a meeting to discuss what is to be done!" A shouted as ANBU could be seen moving through the crowd.

Kakashi and Ayumi were both tapped on their shoulders before the turned to see a cat masked ANBU member of Konoha staring at them before speaking, "Tsunade-sama wants you two to join her in the war room for the meeting."

The member disappeared quickly before Kakashi and Ayumi, who finally regained some of her strength, began to quickly make their way there.

"What do you think they will decide, Kakashi?" Ayumi questioned.

The man sighed, "I'm not sure…it won't be good however, that much is for certain."


	16. A Request

Hello everyone! I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous installment and I hope you enjoy this one! Thank you to **yyh-ygo-fma** and **Jennku** for reviewing! I love reading reviews so, all you silent readers out there, please let me know what you think! As I have said before, I only can improve with reviews! Now, on with the chapter!

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><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

When finally the last of the Kages and their attendants filed into war room and took their seats in a circle, their table missing, a silence filled the air as the Kages and jonin stared at one another; seated next to Tsunade was Onoki, followed by A, then Gaara, then Mei. Finally, the stillness was broken when the Mizukage, Mei, asked:

"So, what shall we do about this little Uchiha boy?"

The Raikage huffed, "I still plan to deal with him on my own, like I promised before."

"Sasuke is a missing-nin from Konoha. I have the sole right to deal with him," Tsunade replied.

"Might I point out that he is an international criminal, Hokage-sama," Gaara stated.

"And what do we do if Naruto were to kill Sasuke? Hmm?" Onoki questioned before shifting a bit as his wounds began to bother him slightly.

"If I may," Kakashi began gaining the attention of the Kages, "Naruto won't be able to do that."

"And why is that?" Onoki questioned.

"Because Naruto still believes Sasuke can be saved," Ayumi replied.

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "Yes. He made a promise years ago to bring Sasuke home to Konoha. He still believes there's a part of Sasuke worth saving."

Tsunade sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, they're right."

"Well, that's very noble. However, it doesn't explain how we will deal with him," Mei stated while leaning back in her chair.

"Onoki," Gaara began, "You said before this war started that we should continue to live in this world united. What if, the Kages formed a council with a jonin member from each village to deal with international crimes and business while still maintaining their respective control of their villages?"

"Hmm," Onoki hummed as he pondered the Kazekage's suggestion.

"That," Tsunade stated, "is a marvelous idea."

"And who shall lead this council?" A questioned.

"Someone young, someone that the people of the whole of the shinobi world love," Ayumi muttered to herself.

"Someone like Naruto?" Onoki asked.

"While that is a suitable suggestion, I believe his judgment shall be biased in his case," Mei stated.

Tsunade sighed, "I suggest, that we form this council once we decide what to do with Sasuke so that the first action of this new council is not bloodshed and can be matters of peace."

Gaara nodded, "I agree and, with all of us to advise Naruto, he won't be led astray."

"Wonderful, glad we figured that out. Now, what are we going to do about Sasuke?" A questioned yet again.

The Hokage sighed, "Once he's arrested, I say that he is brought before us and we determine what to do with him then."

The Kages agreed with this suggestion before Tsunade turned to the two jonin behind her:

"Kakashi, Ayumi. You two go after Naruto and Sasuke. I believe familiar faces would help in this situation."

"Wait," A demanded, "how do I know that they will bring him back?"

"You have nothing to fear, Raikage-sama," Kakashi began, "Neither of us would disobey orders. Additionally, Sasuke was once my student. There are few things that I desire more than to see him receive help."

The Raikage seemed to accept this statement and Kakashi turned to leave before realizing that Ayumi was not by his side. He turned and was shocked by what he saw next.

Ayumi quickly moved in front of Tsunade before dropping to her knees in a very low bow before before Onoki. Of course, the Iwa jonin guarding him placed kunais at her neck fearing that she was doing some sort of attack before Tsunade exclaimed:

"What are you doing, Ayumi? Onoki, call off your men!"

The Tsuchikage nodded to his attendants and they stepped back eyeing Ayumi carefully.

"And what do you want?" Onoki asked, staring at the young woman before him.

Ayumi sighed before taking a deep breath and beginning to speak, "Onoki-sama. You do not know me, but I know of you. My name is Ayumi Osoi, great-granddaughter of Roiyaru Osoi. The traitor that was a spy for Konoha because he was sick of war after most of his clan was slaughtered. You sent out assassins when you learned of his treachery and believed him to be dead. However, he and his wife escaped the carnage of that night and began their lives anew in Konoha. I only learned this information recently while searching in my family history for an explanation of my earth affinity. In my search, I also uncovered my Lava Release abilities and the technique created by my ancestor."

"The Supernova technique," Onoki stated, "I wondered who used it when I heard the report from the Third Division. It was you?"

She nodded, still keeping her head bowed, "Yes, it was."

"And why are you telling me all this?" He asked while leaning forward.

"In my search, once I was granted permission to read his files, I came across his journal. In an entry dated close to the day he died, he spoke of the one thing he regretted in this life. Out of everything, he regretted never getting his Kage's forgiveness," she replied.

Onoki scoffed, "How do you know he wasn't referring to the Hokage? Hmm?"

Ayumi looked up at him, her green eyes flashing in determination, "Because in every reference to Konoha that he made that I read, he referred to the leader as the Hokage. He never called Tobirama-sama or Sarutobi-sama _his_ Kage. Onoki-sama, my great-grandfather regretted never having received forgiveness from you. In retrospect of his actions, can you blame him for what he did? He was a man ahead of his time by wanting peace in the world and that's all he was trying to do. Yes, he became a spy because he was bitter for war, but his motives were peace. Please, I am asking you in his place for forgiveness. I did not realize that my clan's name bears dishonor and as the last… I ask for forgiveness."

Onoki studied the woman before him for a long time before replying, "You have a way with words, just like he did, but you look a great deal like his wife; a very fortunate thing. You even have her hair, and you are very right. He was a man ahead of his time. Look at us now; we fought a war together and peace lies ahead for all of us. Then, crimes such as his were unforgivable, but now, who am I to deny you your request?"

Her eyes lit up, "So, do you mean…?"

He smiled, "Yes, I forgive Roiyaru Osoi for his crimes."

Ayumi smiled before hugging Onoki in excitement. However, she quickly released him and blushed furiously, releasing what she did.

"Sorry, Tsuchikage-sama."

The man laughed, "It's quite all right," he suddenly grew serious, "Just don't do it again."

Ayumi nodded and stood before bowing to him again and moving to leave with Kakashi.

"Oh, by the way Ayumi," Onoki began, causing her to turn, "Once this is over, I'll have a scroll sent to you with copies of several earth and lava release jutsus for you. I know Konoha doesn't have that many and it'll be good for you to be able to represent your Iwa ancestry well."

Ayumi smiled and bowed again to Onoki before replying, "Thank you very much, Onoki-sama. I greatly appreciate that and my student, and earth affinity as well, will appreciate the earth jutsus greatly."

The man nodded to her, "You're quite welcome."

Finally, after the long delay, Ayumi and Kakashi exited the war room.

* * *

><p>Once outside, Kakashi quickly summoned Pakkun and relayed the mission to him before the three of them quickly left, heading in the direction of the battle. As they traveled, Ayumi began chuckling softly. This confused Kakashi and he looked at her and asked:<p>

"What's got you tickled?"

She shook her head, "In a sick way, it's ironic how much this is like that time at the Valley of the End."

"Yes, but I hope the outcome is different this time. I know Sasuke won't have a problem killing Naruto now," he replied grimly

Ayumi nodded, "Right, of course."

They grew silent again as they increased their speed as they traveled towards the battle.

* * *

><p>When Kakashi and Ayumi finally arrived in what once was a forested and beautiful valley, they were appalled to see that the area was completely decimated. Remnants of chidori, Kirin, and various forms of the Rasengan could be seen throughout the battlefield and when Kakashi and Ayumi finally spied the pair, they were shocked.<p>

Naruto stood above an incapacitated Sasuke, panting heavily as he stared down at him. The jonin quickly moved in but remained several yards behind them as Sasuke asked:

"How… How did you defeat me? You couldn't defeat me! It was impossible!"

The blonde sighed, "I defeated you, Sasuke, because I didn't fight with hatred and for revenge. I fought for peace… and I fought to keep a promise I made long ago. You were intent on destroying all of Konoha… I was intent on saving you from this darkness. I had nothing else to distract me…and when I realized that if I focused on that promise and not saving Konoha or peace for the world, my task seemed possible."

Ayumi smiled and looked at Kakashi who was smiling as well before approaching the pair. Kakashi moved next to Sasuke and asked:

"By order of the Five Kages, we are here to arrest you and bring you to trial. Will you go peacefully?"

The raven-haired boy stared at him before sighing, "Yes."

"They're not…? A isn't going to…?" Naruto asked looking between Kakashi and Ayumi.

The lavender haired kunoichi looked at Kakashi, "You go ahead."

The man nodded and stood Sasuke up before binding his hands with a seal to limit his chakra as a precaution and leaving with Pakkun. Ayumi turned back and looked at Naruto:

"No, Naruto. They won't kill him…. at least, I hope that's not what they'll decide. Anyway, the point is the Kages and select advisors will decide his fate."

Naruto sighed as the leapt off towards the Allied Shinobi Forces camp grounds, "I tried, Ayumi. I tried…"

She looked at Naruto, "That's all you can do, Naruto. Besides, I believe everyone has accepted that Sasuke might never be saved. That's always a possibility when you live in darkness like that for so long… look at Orochimaru…"

The blonde nodded, "I know… but, I can still hope."

Ayumi smiled at him, _'He is amazing…Hope even after all that…'_

And as they returned to the campgrounds, Ayumi couldn't help but share the same hope that Naruto had for his friend.


	17. Epilogue

Hello everyone! It may seem as a surprise to most of you, but yes, this is the final chapter. Don't worry, questions will be answered. It saddens me to see this story come to end, but there is a time and place for everything. I want to thank **yyh-ygo-fma** and **jennku** for reviewing the previous chapter and I want to thank everyone who has reviewed this story or Redemption. If you've read to the end of this story, then I thank you for following Ayumi and Kakashi's story of love and loss. I hope it was everything you expected and more. Without further a-do, for the last time, enjoy.  
>Disclaimer: I do not own <em>Naruto <em>or its characters, just those characters of my own design.

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

Kakashi smiled to himself as a pair of chirping birds flew overhead on this bright, sunny day. He often pondered the events of his life as he took this walk, but today, his mind drifted to the events of the Forth Shinobi World War and the events that followed for today was the five-year anniversary of the war's end.

He first thoughts were of Sasuke and how the council of Kage's and advisors did spare his life. However, he could not be pardoned for his association with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki or for his attempt to capture B. So, he was sentenced to serve a seven-year prison sentence while constantly receiving therapy and mental reevaluation by Konoha's best. Kakashi hoped they could help his former student, and the last time he had a conversation with Inoichi, it seemed that the treatments were working.

His next thoughts were of Sakura. Kakashi was very proud that she had further excelled in her continued training with Tsunade since the war's end and now managed the entire hospital and the medical core, even finding the time to teach a few healing classes herself. The pink-haired kunoichi did, however, still maintain her feelings for Sasuke despite his treachery to Konoha. Her feelings were only renewed as he began showing signs of his personality before the massacre, however.

Of course, the thoughts of Sakura led to thoughts of the boy who once had a crush on her: Naruto. Kakashi smiled as he thought about Minato's son for he had grown greatly over the last few years. Under Tsunade's and the other Kage's tutelage, the goofy idiot he had once trained had grown into the respectable and loved leader of the whole shinobi world: the Yochikage. Of course, the Kage's still had a great deal of power in their own villages while Naruto was still young, and, while there would always be a Kage in each village, Naruto's responsibility would grow as he aged and matured even more. Kakashi smiled wickedly as he thought that Hinata would help him mature since the blonde had finally returned the feelings she had confessed to him during the invasion of Pein.

The man sighed as he continued walking down the path. He couldn't help but feel old as he thought of how much his students had changed. However, the thoughts that kept him feeling young were those concerning Ayumi. He very fondly remembered an event that occurred three months after the war.

_Ayumi chuckled as she pinned Hiroshi down, defeating him in a training match once again. The kunoichi couldn't deny that the young boy was getting better, and with the first ever international chunin exams a month way, she felt that he would do very well indeed. _

_ She smiled and stood then helped Hiroshi stand as well before they began dusting themselves off._

_ Hiroshi smiled as he saw the necklace he gave Ayumi glitter in the sunlight, "I didn't know you still wear that, Ayumi-sensei."_

_ The jonin blinked before realizing what he was referring to, then smiled and replied, "Of course I do. It saved my life."_

_ The boy smiled, "So, would you ever wear another piece of jewelry as much as that one?"_

_ Ayumi shrugged, "Possibly. Depends on what it is. Why? Do you have another gift for me?"_

_ "No, but I do," the voice of Kakashi replied from behind her._

_ The woman blinked for she didn't even realize that Kakashi was behind her before turning around and gasping as she saw her lover standing there with a small box in his hand. She looked up in his eye before looking back down and gasping as he opened the box to reveal a simple gold ring with a diamond sitting atop it._

_ Kakashi smiled at her shocked expression before asking, "It felt like the right time to finally ask you this. Ayumi Osoi, will you be my wife?"_

_ Ayumi cried out in joy, "Yes! Yes, of course!" _

_ He quickly slipped the ring on her finger before she tackled him in a hug and planted a kiss on his masked lips. Hiroshi's laughs reached his ears and the boy exclaimed:_

_ "I told you it would work, Kakashi-sensei!"_

The man chuckled softly as he remembered the day, but the day that stood out most in his mind was their wedding day four months later.

_The ceremony was very traditional and held beneath a blooming peach blossom tree. Kakashi was dressed in a customary male black and gray wedding kimono. Gai stood next to him, in starkly clashing green kimono, and nudged him gently:_

"_Very youthful location to have a wedding. Very youthful."_

_ Kakashi looked at his rival, "Just don't cry on me, Gai."_

_The man scoffed before smiling as out of the corner of his eye, Ayumi began approaching the altar._

_The silver haired man looked at his betrothed and smiled. He wouldn't have believed it if someone told him years ago that she would look even more beautiful than she normally does, but she did. Dressed in a white kimono with delicate silver bamboo designs that were barely visible unless sunlight reflected off of the beautiful threads. She carried a large bouquet of lotus flowers and smiled while blushing as Kakashi noticed her. _

_When she arrived at the altar, being given away by Iruka, she handed the bouquet to her maid of honor, Kurenai, before taking both of Kakashi's hands in hers as Naruto led the ceremony._

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as a tiger-masked ANBU member landed on a tree branch slightly ahead of him and to his left. He walked towards the person and stopped, smiling:

"Visiting Ayumi today, Hiroshi?"

The young man removed his mask and smiled in return, "Yes, I was, Kakashi-sensei. She's getting ready for the festival and anxious for you to get back home. So, I would hurry if I were you."

The Sharingan wielder chuckled, "You're right. I don't need her sending me through the wall like she did three years ago."

Hiroshi laughed softly as well, "You have to admit. It was funny."

Kakashi nodded in agreement before bidding Hiroshi farewell. He watched the young earth affinity user leap off after slipping on his mask again. Kakashi smiled and was still amazed that the boy had grown so quickly under Ayumi's tutelage and with the help of the Tsuchikage's gift to Ayumi.

However, he quickly remembered his task and took off at a light jog down the forest path before smiling as his home came into view.

"Daddy!"

A small voice reached his ears and he smiled as a young boy of three with silver hair and forest green eyes ran down the steps of Kakashi's childhood home and up to him. The jonin held out his arms before picking up his son and spinning him in the air then bringing him to him and hugging him tightly.

The man laughed as he pulled the over-sized mask off of his son's face, "Hello, Sakumo. Why are you wearing one of my masks?"

The boy blushed blushed, "Well, you do daddy."

Kakashi shook his head, "But you don't need to hide that adorable face."

Sakumo blinked, confused, "So, do you wear a mask because you're ugly?"

The man blinked and sighed, "Let's go with that. Now, have you been a good boy for mommy today?" He asked as he smiled at the boy and walked towards the porch slowly.

The child nodded furiously as he grinned, "The very best! I picked up my toys for her and helped her fold towels and was very quiet while I played so she could get some paperwork done and then I helped her weed the memorial garden!"

Kakashi ruffled his son's hair before he set the boy on the ground, "Very good, Sakumo. I shall have to buy you some pocky tonight at the festival. But-"

"Yay!" The boy exclaimed, running in circles around his father.

The older man laughed before placing a gentle hand on his son's head to stop him and added, "But only if you go inside and get dressed, okay?"

The boy nodded before quickly heading inside, running past his mother, who had been standing on the porch watching the scene before her between her husband and son. Kakashi smiled and walked up the steps before quickly pulling down his mask and kissing Ayumi.

"And hello to you too." Kakashi stated once he broke the kiss.

The kunoichi smiled, "I missed you today."

The man sighed, "I'm sorry, but Tsunade just has so much paperwork to do that she has all the jonin helping her now."

Ayumi chuckled, "You act like I don't help as well, but from home."

Kakashi smiled and placed a hand on her slightly swollen stomach beneath her mint green kimono:

"How was the doctor's appointment today?"

She smiled, "Wonderful. The baby is completely healthy…and…"

The man quirked an eyebrow, "And?"

Ayumi beamed, "It's going to be a girl."

Kakashi's eye widened a bit before hugging Ayumi gently, "That's wonderful."

She nodded as she hugged him back, "Yes, it is. On both counts."

The man smiled and released his wife before looking into her eyes, "Have you thought of a name? Since you allowed me to name our son."

Ayumi smiled, "Kaiyo."

Kakashi blinked before smiling, "It means forgiveness."

She nodded and reached up, caressing Kakashi's bare cheek, "Yes, I know. I chose it because-"

The man interrupted, "Because I always told you that your love made me feel forgiven."

Ayumi nodded before hugging Kakashi tightly, "Exactly. I love you so much, Kakashi."

He smiled as he ran his fingers through Ayumi's hair and held her close, "And I love you, Ayumi."

And as Kakashi held his wife, lover, and friend in his arms, he looked towards the sky, feeling the love from those he had lost flowing through Ayumi and into him. At that moment, he realized that he had achieved happiness: happiness that was rare in the life of a shinobi and rare in his life in general as well.

And at that moment, he couldn't help but feel forgiven for all that he had endured in his life and he knew that the woman he held was the one to thank for bringing him his happiness…and his forgiveness.

**The End**

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><p>Yochikage- World ShadowShadow of the World

Author's Note: I am working on an Itachi love story; I hope to find the time to finish writing it soon. That's my next project on top of finishing/re-writing things. For some reason, an idea for a Gai love story has been swimming in my head; and, I actually like the idea, so I might write it. Who knows? Depends on how much time I have. Well, I hope to see you all soon with another story!


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